The Reader's Drop Inn

It’s May, which means it’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

And Reading With Red and the Magpie has a curated list of 31 new books dedicated to uplifting and celebrating Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history, culture and contributions.

With what’s going on in the world today, now is also the perfect time to take a look at your shelves to make sure that you are being intentional about diversity, inclusion, and representation all year long.

It’s also the perfect time to support ANHPI creators by updating your bookshelves with some new picture books or requesting them for your local library.

It’s May and that means Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is here!

A month long celebration dedicated to uplifting Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history, culture and contributions, it is also the perfect time to take a look at your shelves to make sure that you are being intentional about AAPI representation all year long. It’s also a wonderful time to support ANHPI creators by updating your bookshelves with some new picture books.

I’ve curated a fun list of 31 ✨new✨ AANHPI titles that our family loves so get ready to put those library holds requests in and perhaps add a few favorites to your own home or classroom library. Keep an eye out for some fun features this month as well!

•The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei (China/Vietnamese illustrator)*
•My Mama is a Work of Art (Philippines)**
•A Very Asian Guide to Malaysian and Singaporean Food
•The Home We Make (Pakistan)**
•Awe-Samosas (Pakistan/Sri Lankan ill.)*
•The Jade Bracelet (Vietnam/Malaysian ill.)*

•Do You Even Know Me? (Pakistan)**
•Hair Oil Magic (Punjab, India)**
•Hello: How Nüwa Created the World (China)**
•The Beat of the Dragon Boat (China/Taiwanese author)*
•Aloha Everything (Hawaii)**
•Ruth Asawa: An Artist Takes Shape (Japan)

•Made for More (Hawaii/Japan)
•Mandeep’s Cloudy Day (Punjab, India)*
•Box of Dreams (Phillipines)**
•We Sing from the Heart (Asian American)*
•Be Careful, Xiao Xin! (China)*
•Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl (Taiwan)**

•Tala Learns to Shiva (Samoa)*
•Chang’e on the Moon (China)**
•Mai’s Áo Dài (Vietnam)*
•Minh and the Magic Grains of Rice (Vietnam)*
•The Greatest River (India/Vietnamese ill.)
•A Little Bit of Everything (Indian auth/Fillipino ill)*

•Seeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child Labor (India)**
•Slippery, Spicy, Tingly (Korea)*
•Yasmeen Lari, Green Architect: The True Story of Pakistan’s First Woman Architect (Pakistan)**
•Aisha’s Colors (Indonesia)*
•Mango Memories (India)
•The Vase with the Golden Cracks (Japan)*
•Verna and the Red Roti: A Story of Hope During Partition (India)*

What books would you add to this list?

Even though this is aimed at teachers, many of these apply to us as parents of young readers.

Ten Things I’m Doing After Listening to Sold a Story Venters: Schools and educators need to rethink the way they teach reading and emphasize decoding, professional development and support for parents.

Would love to hear your thoughts

…and reflections from your own experience learning to read

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