Asian Pacific American Heritage Books for Kids
This list was created by Seattle Public Library Children's Services Librarians, in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. (Updated April 2021)
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The Best at It
An Indian American boy, Rahul Kapoor, struggles with his sexuality and mental health while finding a place for himself in seventh grade. Rahul spirals into an anxious depression with symptoms of OCD that force him to confront and eventually accept exactly who he is and every character in the story is nuanced and sympathetically rendered, and the book does not shy away from racism, sexism, ableism, or homophobia. And yet with caring friends and family, Rahul finds his place and shows growth with empathy.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Award-winning, bestselling author-illustrator Grace Lin creates a heartwarming original story. Through a lovely conversation with mom and girl, it explains phases of the moon.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Bindu's Bindis
Bindu loves bindis. it's the adornments that some South Asians wear on their foreheads for religious or cosmetic purposes. The bindis are also a connection to her Nani who lives in India. When Nani comes to visit Bindu and brings the bindis to her, it is just in time to wear something new to the school talent show. Bindu and Nani work together to shine their brightest and embrace their sparkle, even when they stand out from the crowd.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Bridge Home
Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Bush Bash
Where is dingo dashing off to? Come and join the Bush Bash to find out—there are animals to count, things to find, and a surprise on the last page!
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Bush Tracks
What can you see? Follow the clues that landscape, seasons, weather, the stars, the moon and the sun give to navigate bush tracks and find the Australian animal. A lyrical, fun story about tracking animals in the bush featuring vibrant illustrations by Balarinji, Australia's leading Indigenous design studio
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Colours of Australia
Deep love of Australia inspires Bronwyn Bancroft's poetry and the richly layered hues of Colours of Australia. Each line speaks a different voice, each image stirs a different mood, and all combine to evoke the miracle of color with which we are surrounded
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Comeback
Twelve-year-old Maxine Chen is just trying to nail that perfect landing: on the ice, in middle school, and at home, where her parents worry that competitive skating is too much pressure for a budding tween. She is determined to glide to victory. But then a bully at school starts teasing Maxine for her Chinese heritage, leaving her stunned and speechless. And at the rink, she finds herself up against a stellar new skater named Hollie, whose grace and skill threaten to edge Maxine out of the competition. With everything she knows on uneven ice, will Maxine crash under the pressure? Or can she power her way.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Crabbing With Dad
Sunscreen and life jackets on, they zoom off into the creek, passing other boats and people fishing along the way. It’s a good tide to be on the water and they even come across Cousin Dan throwing his net as far as he can. Crab pots set, they all wait patiently and play games as they guess what fish could be swimming under their boat. When it’s finally time to check the crab pots, the adventure begins as they pull up a big, angry crab! Dad teaches the children how to handle the crabs very carefully so they don’t get nipped!
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Drawn Together
When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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