Asian Heritage Books for Children
Compiled by Maria Velasquez
February 7, 2008 marks the start of the Year of the Rat on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Let’s celebrate the Chinese New Year holiday with great books.
My First Chinese New Year
by Karen Katz
About This Book
Follow one little girl as she learns how to welcome the Chinese New Year and experience all the festivities surrounding it. This warm and lively introduction to a special holiday will make even the youngest child want to start a Chinese New Year tradition.
Sam and the Lucky Money
by Karen Chinn
On Chinese New Year's Day, Sam can hardly wait to go shopping with his mom. His grandparents have given him the traditional gift of "lucky money"-and this year he is finally old enough to spend it any way he chooses. Enhanced by beautiful watercolors, this touching story teaches children that every gift is precious when given from the heart. Text copyright 2004 Lectorum Publications, Inc.
Dumpling Soup
Author: Jama Kim Rattigan
Marisa gets to help make dumplings this year to celebrate the New Year. But she worries if anyone will eat her funny-looking dumplings. Set in the Hawaiian islands, this story celebrates the joyful mix of food, customs, and languages from many cultures.
The Ugly Vegetables
Author: Grace Lin
A little girl wonders why she and her Mom are growing plants in their garden that are so different from their neighbors''. Recipe for Ugly Vegetable Soup included!
Fortune Cookie Fortunes
Author: Grace Lin
Crack, crack, crack! The cookies snap open and the family’s fortunes are revealed. Mei Mei wants to know how hers will come true. Jie Jie scoffs—they never come true. But Pacy isn’t so sure. As she waits and watches, she notices magical things happening in her family. Could the fortunes really be right? And what about Pacy’s fortune: “You will see the world in a new way”? Well, yes, it’s true! Pacy has been seeing the world through fortune cookies!
Bringing in the New Year
Author: Grace Lin
This exuberant story follows a Chinese American family as they prepare for the Lunar New Year. Each member of the family lends a hand as they sweep out the dust of the old year, hang decorations, and make dumplings. Then it’s time to put on new clothes and celebrate with family and friends. There will be fireworks and lion dancers, shining lanterns, and a great, long dragon parade to help bring in the Lunar New Year.
Dim Sum For Everyone!
Author: Grace Lin
In English, dim sum means "little hearts," or "touches the heart," but to this young girl, dim sum means delicious. On a visit to a bustling dim sum restaurant, a family picks their favorite little dishes from the steaming trolleys filled with dumplings, cakes, buns, and tarts. And as is traditional and fun, they share their food with each other so that everyone gets a bite of everything.
Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes
Author: Roseanne Thong
A little girl's neighborhood becomes a discovery ground of things round, square and rectangular. Many of the objects are Asian in origin, other universal: round rice bowls and a found pebble, square dim sum and pizza boxes, rectangular Chinese lace and very special pencil case. Bright art accompanies this lively introduction to shapes and short glossary explains the cultural significance of the objects featured in the book. Perfect for read-alouds or one-on-one sharing.
Red is a Dragon
Author: Roseanne Thong
Discover shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and more as a little girl finds color in all sorts of everyday things. Many of the featured objects are Asian in origin, others universal: red is the dragon in the Chinese New Year parade, green is a bracelet made of jade, and yellow are the taxis she sees on her street. With rich, boisterous illustrations and colors that leap off the page, this concept picture book will brighten every child's day!
One Is A Drummer
Author: Roseanne Thong
Children can learn about Asian culture in and out of the classroom with this third book in author Roseanne Thong’s popular series. While the two previous books focused on colours and shapes, this vibrantly illustrated book looks at numbers, using objects of both Asian and universal origin. A glossary is included.
Kite Flying
Author: Grace Lin
The family from Dim Sum for Everyone! is back for a new outing– building and flying their own kite! The wind is blowing. It is a good day for kites! The whole family makes a trip to the local craft store for paper, glue, and paint. Everyone has a job: Ma-Ma joins sticks together. Ba-Ba glues paper. Mei-Mei cuts whiskers while Jie-Jie paints a laughing mouth. Dragon eyes are added and then everyone attaches the final touch . . . a noisemaker! Now their dragon kite is ready to fly.
Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story
Author: Jonny Zucker
A Chinese family prepares for their New Year festivities they decorate the house with flowers, then set off firecrackers to scare away bad spirits and welcome the coming year. Family and friends sit down together for a festive dinner, then go outside to watch the parade of dragon dancers. The festival ends on its final night with a display of colored lanterns. Festival Time books depict the activities of typical families, as Mom, Dad, and children celebrate holidays that have special religious.
Abby's Birds
Author: Ellen Schwartz
Ellen Schwartz is the author of 12 fiction and non-fiction books for children. She lives in Burnaby, BC. Abby’s Birds is Sima Elizabeth Shefrin’s first picture book. She commutes between Vancouver and Gabriola Island, BC.
Bee-bim Bop!
Author: Linda Sue Park
Bee-bim bop (the name translates as "mix-mix rice") is a traditional Korean dish of rice topped, and then mixed, with meat and vegetables. In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal.
Chinatown
Author: William Low
In this tribute to his own childhood in Chinatown, William Low melds a spare, evocative text with richly descriptive art, a combination that lends a feeling of immediacy to every page. Herbal shops, outdoor markets, and a tai chi chuan class in the park are among the many sights a young boy sees when taking a walk with his grandmother.
Ruby's Wish
Author: Shirin Yim Bridges
Ruby is unlike most little girls in old China. Instead of aspiring to get married, Ruby is determined to attend university when she grows up, just like the boys in her family. Based upon the inspirational story of the author's grandmother and accompanied by richly detailed illustrations, Ruby''s Wish is an engaging portrait of a young girl who strives for more and a family who rewards her hard work and courage. Go to the "Ruby's Wish” teacher's guide Awards and honors for "Ruby's Wish”
Happy, Happy Chinese New Year!
Author: Demi Hitz
In a book that is itself a celebration, Demi explains the rituals and ideas behind the Chinese New Year festival. The last 15 days of the old year are spent cleaning and preparing (‘Wash your hair and get a new haircut. Pay the debts that you owe and collect what is owed to you!’). On the eve of the new moon, a special feast is prepared. . . . The first 15 days of the New Year are spent celebrating with lion dances, firecrackers, and other activities.