Asian Americans in Children's Books

Chin-Lee, Cynthia. A is for Asia / by Cynthia Chin-Lee; illustrated by Yumi Heo. New York : Orchard Books, 1997. ISBN: 0531300110. (Ages 5-9)

Eclectic celebration of the diverse languages, cultures, and religions of Asia.  Each letter gives the English word for some word relevant to Asia. For example, B is for Batik and C is for Camel Races.  Each word is also written in an Asian language.

Say, Allen. The Lost Lake / Allen Say. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. 1989. Ages 4-8.

Luke, goes to live with his father one summer. The father takes him on a camping trip to the " Lost Lake " in the mountains. Unfortunately, the lake has been "found". They go in search of a new lost lake. Watercolor illustrations are more muted and pastel colored than other Say books.

Say, Allen. A River Dream / Allen Say. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston 1988. Ages 6-10.

Mark, a sick boy, receives a small box of fishing flies from his uncle in the mail.  The flies become mayflies that lure him out his city bedroom window into a mountain river landscape. He takes a boat up the river and sees his uncle, Scott.  He teaches Mark lessons of fishing and life. The ethnicity of the boy and his uncle is not clear. It is a magical story showing an Asian American family just being normal people. The understated multicultural message is refreshing and the illustrations are dreamily, realistic looking watercolors. A River Dream is one of my favorite books.

Wong, Herbert Yee. Tracks in the snow / Herbert Yee Wong. New York, N.Y. : H. Holt, 2003. Ages 2-6.

Reminiscent of A Snowy Day, an Asian American girl enjoys a day exploring nature in winter. Told in simple rhyme and illustrated with soft and fuzzy "prismacolors on Arches watercolor paper".