More great books for Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month. I shared 9 books to help you celebrate a couple years ago and I'm back today with a few more recommendations for you. 

🇨🇳 Chinese Menu (secular, middle grade, nonfiction-fiction combo)... We love Grace Lin around here! This one has such a fascinating look at the history of Chinese (and Chinese-American) foods, complete with her signature style of folk tale stories mixed in. I am going to try making a sweet red bean soup this week! 

🇯🇵 Hiroshima (secular, middle grade)... This one was a bit depressing, without much hope/redemption involved, but it was short and it was based on true accounts. 

🇺🇸 Love in the Library (secular, picture book, biography)... This picture book tells a Japanese Internment camp story. I love when history is shown through picture books, and in a way that expresses the sadness without forving children to feel deep sorrow. This one pulled that off. 

🇯🇵 Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (secular, middle grade)... Based on a true story, this one is about a young girl's battle with cancer after the atom bomb. This one does not leave children with alot of hope but it is very good.  

🇺🇸 Seen and Unseen (secular, middle grade, nonfiction, graphic novel)... This Japanese internment camp account is told graphic-novel style. It's a very quick read as a result and I added it to our list for middle school. 

🇰🇷 Seesaw Girl (secular, chapter book/ middle grade, TGTB book list)... This one is more historical in that paints a cultural picture of 17th century Korea. This TGTB book list offering ends with a lighter tone than some of the others on this list. It's also a very fast, easy read. Linda Sue Park is another favorite around here. 

🇨🇳 What is the Great Wall of China? (Secular, middle grade, nonfiction)... This series is very hit or miss with me but I liked this one fine.  

I debated whether or not to add this one but I'm also going to include one of my very favorite middle grade novels, Echo. The third part follows a Mexican-American family as they take care of a Japanese family's farm while they're in an internment camp. There are questions and concerns about the Japanese family being spies and I feel like this story paints an important picture but since it's not through their own eyes I was hesitant to include it. 

And, for diversity that isn't historical in nature: Corinne (middle grade, secular) // East Meets Vegan (cookbook, secular) // Nana, Nenek, and Nina (picture book, secular)