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AAPI Heritage Month May 2025 |
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Watercress
by Andrea Wang
A little girl traveling through Ohio in an old car helps her family collect muddy, snail-covered watercress from a ditch in the wild before learning the story of her immigrant heritage and how foraging for fresh food helps her loved ones stay together.
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Snow angel, sand angel
by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Longing to see snow for the first time after having been surrounded by the deep blue waves of Hapuna Beach in Hawaii all her life, Claire wonders if she can create a winter wonderland in her own way.
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The truth about dragons
by Julie Leung
In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child's heart
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We who produce pearls
by Joanna Ho
"This uplifting anthem for Asian America celebrates the richness and diversity within the Asian American identity and serves as a reminder of their self-worth, their legacy and, most of all, their destiny, reminding readers to rise up, speak out and step into power.
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Usha y la gran excavadora/ Usha and the Big Digger
by Amitha Jagannath Knight
"Cuando Usha y Aarti levantan la mirada hacia las mismas siete estrellas, ven coasas diferentes. La hermana mayor Aarti ve el Cazo Mayor, pero la hermana menor Usha ve... ¡la Gran Exacadora! Las hermanas no pueden ponerse de acuerdo, así que le preguntan a su prima Gloria. Pero Gloria ve algo distinto: ¡la Gran Cometa! ¿Qué está sucediendo?"Book Annotation
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Made for more
by Chloe Ito Ward
A narrator defies narrow beauty standards to embrace the skin she's in and her life on the island of Kaua'i, in an exploration of immigration that pays tribute to the identity formed by a girl's Japanese roots and Hawaiian upbringing.
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Awe-samosas!
by Marzieh Abbas
It's Noor's first time making her Dadijaan's Special Samosa recipe. When she can't get in touch with her Dadijaan because it's nighttime in Pakistan, Noor must improvise to make her family's recipe without all of the correct ingredients
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Bunso meets a duwende
by Rev Valdez
When a Duwende, a creature of Filipino folklore who steals toys and plays tricks on children, absconds with the delicious Ube Halaya from his family's Thanksgiving dinner, Bunso embarks on a daring rescue mission to save the holiday.
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Perfect
by Waka T. Brown
Miki Amelia Masuda, who likes everything in her life to be perfect, learns to appreciate life's imperfections when her grandmother teaches her about the Japanese art form kintsugi, showing that rips, cracks and tears have their own stories to tell?—?ones that are beautiful and meaningful in their own way.
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The boy who tried to shrink his name
by Sandhya Parappukkaran
When Zimdalamashkermishkada shortens his name, deep down it doesn't feel right, and with the help of a new friend who sees him for who he truly is, Zimdalamashkermishkada finds the confidence to step proudly into his long name.
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Tala learns to siva
by Kealani Netane
"Preparing to perform a traditional Samoan dance at her Grandma's birthday, Tala freezes on stage and must summon the strength and inspiration to help her dance, in this empowering story about finding courage through the love and guidance of family.
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Ramen for everyone
by Patricia Tanumihardja
Setting out to make a perfect bowl of ramen after watching his dad and taking notes, Hiro finds things not going according to plan until his dad's wise advice and his own creativity lead to the discovery that every person's bowl of ramen is unique.
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Caged
by Kao Kalia Yang
"A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything--and everyone--she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, Your wings have arrived"
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Girls on wheels
by Srividhya Venkat
Inspired by the skateboarding revolution in India, this thrilling picture book follows Anila who, with the help of her two best friends, overcomes her fear of skating after breaking her arm.
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Aloha everything
by Kaylin Melia George
"When Ano, a courageous young girl, begins to dance the hula?—?a storytelling dance form that carries the knowledge, history and folklore of the Hawaiian people, she comes to understand the true meaning of aloha."
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Birthday soup
by Grace Seo Chang
Celebrating a time-honored Korean tradition, this heartwarming story follows Maia as she gets to help prepare Birthday Soup (miyeok guk) and decides to share it with her friends at her birthday party, blending two cultures she's part of to create a new tradition.
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El mooch de Laxmi / Laxmi's Mooch
by Shelly Anand
Un alegre libro infantil ilustrado de positividad corporal sobre el camino de una niña india-americana para aceptar su vello corporal y celebrar su herencia después de que se burlaran de ella por su bigote.
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Gibberish
by Young Vo
When Dat starts school in a country where he does not speak the language, everything around him sound like gibberish until a new friend helps him make sense of his new world
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Punky Aloha
by Shar Tuiasoa
Armed with her grandmother's magical sunglasses and a lot of aloha in her heart, plucky Polynesian girl Punky Aloha, who is scared to make new friends, sets off on a BIG adventure for the very first time.
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Soy sauce!
by Laura Lee
A joyful picture book using real soy sauce as paint celebrates the iconic kitchen staple that can take decades to make and the magic way food connects family and friends across the world.
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Drawn together
by Minh Lãe
Struggling throughout a visit with his grandfather when they cannot speak each other's language, a young boy discovers their mutual love of art and storytelling during a shared session of drawing that helps them form a bond beyond words.
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Beautifully me
by Nabela Noor
Hearing people being critical of their own and each other's bodies, Zubi, an exuberant Bangladeshi girl, is helped by her family to see that we can all make the world a more beautiful place by being beautifully ourselves.
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Kailani's gift
by Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young
"Having a hard time learning a traditional Filipino dance for her grandparents' anniversary, Kailani gets some help from her Daddy but wonders if she'll be able to learn the moves in time to surprise her Lolo and Lola.
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Mr. Pei's perfect shapes : the story of architect I.M. Pei
by Julie Leung
"This inspirational story of the Chinese American architect who changed architecture with his forward-thinking shapes shows how his legacy has endured and his structures can still be seen around the world, including the JFK Library and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum."
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The ABCs of Asian American history
by Renee Macalino Rutledge
Brings together the holidays, traditional dress, cuisine and famous figures, including Asian American astronauts, Olympic gold medalists, inventors, artists, political leaders and more from 19 Asian American groups.
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Sakamoto's swim club : how a teacher led an unlikely team to victory
by Julie Abery
Simple rhymes and lush illustrations inspired by the sugar plantations of 1930s Maui combine in the lesser-known story of a dedicated science teacher, Soichi Sakamoto, who used innovative techniques to coach his Hawaiian swimming team all the way to the Olympics.
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Kapaemahu
by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
This tribute to an Indigenous Hawaiian legend, and based on the Academy Award-contending short film, brings to life the story of four 19th century Mahu who shared their gifts of science and healing with the people of Waikiki before disappearing.
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Continental drifter
by Kathy Macleod
"Spending most of the year in Bangkok and then the summer in Maine, Thai American Kathy struggles to fit in and longs to find a place where she truly belongs, but she's not sure if it's in America, Thailand… or anywhere."
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Pearl
by Sherri L. Smith
"Amy is a thirteen-year-old Japanese-American girl who lives in Hawaii. When her great-grandmother falls ill, Amy travels to visit family in Hiroshima for the first time. But this is 1941. When the Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor, it becomes impossible for Amy to return to Hawaii. Conscripted into translating English radio transmissions for the Japanese army, Amy struggles with questions of loyalty and fears about her family amidst rumors of internment camps in America--even as she makes a new best friend and, over the years, Japan starts to feel something like home. Torn between two countries at war, Amy must figure out where her loyalties lie and, in the face of unthinkable tragedy, find hope in the rubble of a changed world"
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Rick Kotani's 400 million dollar summer
by Waka T. Brown
Twelve-year-old Rick Kotani is looking forward to playing summer baseball in California but must move to Oregon to help his Grandpa Hiroshi, and after the two bond over a Japanese folktale about personal values, Rick joins a super competitive baseball league and must make big decisions about what he values most.
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Hungry bones
by Louise Hung
"By touching the belongings of people who have died, she gets brief glimpses into the lives they lived. Sometimes the "zaps" are funny or random, but often they leave her feeling sad, drained, and lonely. The last thing Jade remembers from life is dying.That was over one hundred years ago. Ever since then she's been trapped in the same house watching people move in and out. She's a 'hungry ghost' reliant on the livings' food scraps to survive. To most people she is only a shadow, a ghost story, a superstition. Molly is not most people. When she moves into Jade's house, nothing will ever be the same-for either of them. After over a century alone, Jade might finally have someone who can help her uncover the secrets of her past, and maybe even find a way out of the house-before her hunger destroys them both"
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Troublemaker
by John Cho
Following the events of the LA Riots, a 12-year-old Korean American boy must come to terms with the racism within and affecting their community while trying to protect his father, a store owner.
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Clairboyance
by Kristiana Kahakauwila
"When she attains the ability to hear what boys are thinking, Clara hopes her newfound powers will reverse her ex-best friend's betrayal but ends up making a mess of everything and must fix her mistakes as she tries to figure out old friendships and new ones. "
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Are you nobody too?
by Tina Cane
"After a year of distance-learning, Emily Sofer finds her world turned upside down: she has to leave the only school she's ever known to attend a public school in Chinatown. For the first time, Emily isn't the only Chinese student around . . . but looking like everyone else doesn't mean that understanding them will be easy--especially with an intimidating group of cool girls Emily calls The Five. When Emily discovers that her adoptive parents have been keeping a secret, she feels even more uncertain about who she is. A chance discovery of Emily Dickinson's poetry helps her finally feel seen. . . but can the words of a writer from 200 years ago help her open up again, and find common ground with the Five?"
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The Serpent Rider
by Yxavel Magno Diäno
Determined to fulfill her destiny as a Serpent Rider while protecting her little sister Ligaya, village princess Tani is tasked with memorizing their community's history and forced to make a desperate deal with a stranger for a monster of her own, putting Ligaya in grave danger.
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Lupe Wong no baila / Lupe Wong Won't Dance
by Donna Barba Higuera
Lupe necesita una A en todas las clases para conocer a su lanzador favorito, Fu Li Hernández, un mexi-chino como ella. ¿Qué pasa cuando el baile de country llega al gimnasio? Lupe no se quedará con los brazos cruzados."
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Ruby lost and found
by Christina Li
Forced to spend the summer at Nai-Nai's senior center, Ruby Chu works to help save a historic Chinatown bakery while revisiting her late Ye-Ye's favorite spots to find a way to deal with her grief?—?and maybe even find herself.
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Team Chu and the wild ghost chase
by Julie C. Dao
When his cat, Tuba, becomes a social media sensation, scoring him an invite to a star-studded pet fashion show at Spooky World, Iggy and his friends find themselves on a mysterious, action-packed scavenger hunt to uncover the truth behind this haunted Halloween carnival.
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Thea and the mischief makers
by Tracy Badua
This magical, middle grade adventure follows star athlete Thea, who must face her worst fears when two mischievous duwendes, Filipino goblins, threaten to wreak havoc on her life?—?and destroy her town.
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Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
by Xiran Jay Zhao
When he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for an important mission, Zachary Ying must seal the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld while trying to save his mother's soul.
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Lei and the fire goddess
by Malia Maunakea
While in Hawaii visiting her grandmother, 12-year-old, part-Hawaiian Anna Leilani Kama'ehu angers Pele the fire goddess, and to save her friends, family and the island itself, she must undo the curse by embracing all of who she is.
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The girl who couldn't lie
by Radhika Sanghani
"Priya frequently bends the truth to keep her friends, family, and gymnastics coach happy, but when she gets her beloved late grandmother's bangle stuck on her wrist, she finds herself incapable of telling a lie"
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Lion dancers
by Cai Tse
Returning to lion dancing after a long absence, Wei comes face-to-face with Hung, his former best friend and bitter rival, and as they claw their way to the top, they must face their mistakes head-on and remember what it really means to be part of a team.
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Shakti
by SJ Sindu
When the three meanest girls in school start casting spells, 12-year-old Shakti draws on ancient Indian magic to stop them but instead curses the entire town and must harness her own strength, power and empathy to save those she loves and end the hate.
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Fresh start
by Gale Galligan
"Ollie Herisson's dad is a diplomat, which means her family moves around a lot. She has already lived in Singapore, Korea, France, and the United States. When Ollie starts at a new school, she doesn't worry about making a good impression because she knows that when her family inevitably moves again, she'll get a fresh start somewhere else. A complete reset. It doesn't matter if her classmates think she's weird for pretending that she lives in the world of an imagined anime, or if she makes an enemy out of the most popular girl in her class, or if she does something hugely embarrassing! And it definitely doesn't matter that all her mom wants is for Ollie to be more of a proper Thai daughter.
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Elven and the Puzzle Box
by Gwen Lee
"Twelve-year-old Elven has eleven fingers, no parents, and a skin tone that hints at murky origins. One day, she receives a wooden Puzzle Box belonging to her late mother, and an intriguing letter promising her love--if she solves it. Thus begins Elven's long journey, in which she runs away to the town of Armora to find the Puzzle Box maker."
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Anzu and the realm of darkness
by Mai K. Nguyen
"Accidentally transported to the Shinto underworld called Yomi, Anzu discovers the queen of this realm has been kidnapping the spirits of lost children for decades and is torn between escaping or staying to help the trapped spirits as she fights her way back home.
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Winston Chu vs. the whimsies
by Stacey Lee
"After inadvertently stopping a robbery at an oddities shop in Chinatown, 12-year-old Winston Chu is gifted a broom and dustpan that somehow take his most beloved possessions and decides it's time to fight magic with magic to sweep away evil.
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