During Juneteenth, we posted children’s books by Black authors for diverse audiences, so we wanted to give you the ultimate summer reading list of diverse authors and cultures. This week we are sharing books by authors of Asian descent.
Like Black authors, they are vastly underrepresented in the publishing world. In fact, according to a survey conducted by The Cooperative Children’s Book Center in 2021, only 10.4 percent of children's books published in 2021 contained Asian or Asian American main characters. While this number has seen an increase, access to books by predominantly white authors and about white characters are much easier to obtain.
As we know our world isn’t as black and white as society paints it. Children want to see characters that look like them and share similar stories to them. We hope that by providing this list we can open you up to a new world of possibilities and all the wonderful stories that are often overlooked, but certainly shouldn’t be.
Check out our list below:
1. Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
2. Watercress by Andrea Wang
3. Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim
4. The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
5. Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim
6. My First Day by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên
7. My Tree by Hope Lim
8. The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
9. Like A Dandelion by Huy Voun Lee
10. My Love For You Is Always by Gillian Sze
11. A Different Pond by Bao Phi
12. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
13. Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki
14. Stargazing by Jen Wang
15. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
16. Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat
17. Front Desk by Kelly Yang
18. The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata
19. Wishes by Mượn Thị Văn
20. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
There are countless other Asian and Asian American stories out there but these are just a few great ones to get you started! We hope you find these stories as inspiring and amazing as we do! Be sure to tune in next week when we share our Hispanic heritage book list!