Children's Book Suggestions | Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025

A few of our favorite books about Asian & Pacific Islander Americans past and present published in 2024. For more book ideas, check out our Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024 Picture Book and Chapter Book lists, browse the library catalog, or search for the name of a country or ethnic group.

More great books are honored annually with the Asian/Pacific American Literary Award (APALA).

P.S. Stay tuned for our Southeast Asian Heritage Month book list, coming August 2025!

Updated April 17, 2025
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
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Children's Book Suggestions | Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025

A few of our favorite books about Asian & Pacific Islander Americans past and present published in 2024. For more book ideas, check out our Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024 Picture Book and Chapter Book lists, browse the library catalog, or search for the name of a country or ethnic group.

More great books are honored annually with the Asian/Pacific American Literary Award (APALA).

P.S. Stay tuned for our Southeast Asian Heritage Month book list, coming August 2025!

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Noodles on a bicycle
Maclear, Kyo
Paper Book
A vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, or demae, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets. A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK . A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book . A BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS,<...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Home in a lunchbox
Mo, Cherry
Paper Book
**WINNER OF THE CALDECOTT HONOR** Cherry Mo's stunning debut is about a young girl who immigrates to America and finds home in an unexpected place. When Jun moves from Hong Kong to America, the only words she knows are hello, thank you, I don't know,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The rock in my throat
Yang, Kao Kalia
Paper Book
Praise for The Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jiemei Lin: Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Picture Book Honor Booklist Editor's Choice The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award Heartland Booksellers Award Finalist...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Gigi and Ojiji : perfect paper cranes
Iwai, Melissa
Paper Book
"Gigi crafts her Japanese American identity in this ­enchanting early reader. The cuteness, inclusivity, and cross-cultural problem-solving represented will have young ­readers coming back again and again. A must-buy." --School Library Journal (starred review) "The text is...

Early Reader (Level 3)

Magnolia Wu unfolds it all
Miller, Chanel
Paper Book
A Newbery Honor book and instant New York Times, USA Today, and indie bestseller! Award-winning author and artist Chanel Miller tells a fun, funny, and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Finally heard
Yang, Kelly
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes the sequel to Finally Seen "that tackles tweenhood and technology woes head-on" (School Library Journal, starred review) when Lina tries to navigate social media, only to discover not everything online is...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Noodle & Bao
Lu, Shaina
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of Animal Crossing and Measuring Up, this whimsical and empowering middle grade graphic novel follows a girl who helps her friend's humble food cart stand its ground against the gentrification of their Chinatown neighborhood. Momo has lived in Town 99 her...

Children's Graphic Novel (Grades 3-5)

The spindle of fate
Lim, Aimee
Paper Book
When Evie Mei discovers that her recently passed mother was the head of a guild of magical weavers, she enters the Chinese netherworld to try and bring her back in this middle-grade debut. AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE Twelve-year-old Evie Mei Huang...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

May the best player win
Zhao, Kyla
Paper Book
The game is on in this fun-filled middle grade debut about chess, girl power, and performance anxiety in sports, perfect for fans of Kelly Yang and Celia C. Pérez! The clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championship--and...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The squad
Soontornvat, Christina
Paper Book
Break out your pom poms! The highly anticipated, stand-alone companion to the instant #1 bestseller The Tryout promises even more cheer, higher stakes, and relatable middle-school drama. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier. "Raw, candid, moving, and full of heart." -Betty C....

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Alterations
Xu, Ray
Paper Book
For fans of Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward, this funny yet poignant middle-grade coming-of-age story highlights the struggle of feeling invisible while yearning to be seen by all.  Kevin Lee...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

Made in Asian America : a history for young people
Lee, Erika
Paper Book
From three-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat and award-winning historian Erika Lee comes a middle grade nonfiction that shines a light on the generations of Asian Americans who have transformed the United States and who continue to shape what it means to be American. ...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 10-14)

My lost freedom : a Japanese American WWII story
Takei, George
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . A CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD WINNER . A moving, beautifully illustrated true story for children ages 6 to 9 about growing up in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II-from the iconic Star Trek actor, activist, and author of the New...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 6-9)

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