May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Many years ago there were few books that accurately portrayed Asian Americans in books. Books like The Five Chinese Brothers are out-of-date, and makes it hard for any Asian Pacific American to relate to the culture that the book portrays. Now there are many authors such as Lawrence Yep, Grace Lin, Allen Say, Linda Sue Park, and more newcomers such as Cherry Cheva, Gene Luen Yang, and An Na. Books portraying Asian Pacific American Heritage are changing, and it’s exciting to see the new books that are now available. In addition to the books listed below, Fusion Stories is a great place to find more books that celebrate the Asian Pacific American Heritage.
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Legend of the Chinese Dragon
Written by Maria Sellier
Illustrated by Catherine Louis
Calligraphy and chop marks by Wang Fei
Translated by Sibylle KazeroidLegend of the Chinese Dragon is a beautiful book that is reminiscent of a Native American creation story. In many Asian countries the dragon is an all-powerful and benevolent creature. In China, and Korea, it is believed that emperors were descendants of dragons. In the Legend of the Chinese Dragon the story is of how the dragon was created from elements of animals that were worshiped or revered in the different regions of China.
The story is told in both English and Mandarin Chinese. It is a lovely story and the illustration is reminiscent of Chinese paper cutting. The chops are wonderful and would be a great activity for students to make connections between the Chinese character and the animal. For example, the chop for bird looks like the wing of a bird.
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Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog
Written by Pamela S. Turner
Illustrated by Yan NascimbeneHachiko is the name of an akita dog that live in outskirts of Tokyo from 1923 to 1935. When he was still a puppy Hachiko was brought to live with Hidesamuro Ueno. They soon started a routine of walking together to the train station in the morning so that Ueno can take the train to the University of Tokyo. After the train left, Hachiko would return home. In the afternoon, Hachiko would walk back to the train station and wait for Ueno to return. For a little over a year, Hachiko and Ueno followed this routine. Until in 1925 Ueno died of a stroke at the University of Tokyo, never returning home to Hachiko. At first, Hachiko went to live with Ueno’s relatives in another town. But Hachiko would run away and return to the train station to wait for Ueno. Hachiko waited until his death in 1935. Some say Hachiko only returned for the food and water that people gave him, but Hachiko only returned to meet the evening train from Tokyo as it arrives at the station. Hachiko’s story of loyalty is a national phenomenon in Japan.
In addition to the beautiful story—the story the author wrote is fictitious—the artwork is stunning. Each illustration looks like it could have originally been a classic Japanese woodblock print. Hachiko’s story is one of my favorite stories of all time. It ranks up there with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.
Order Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog from Bookshop Santa Cruz
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The Year of the Dog
Written & Illustrated by Grace Lin
It is the Year of the Dog, and Pacy is a Chinese-American girl living with her family in upstate New York. When Pacy’s sister moves to middle school next year, Pacy will be the only Chinese girl in the entire school. That is until one day, a new girl arrived at the school. Her name is Melody and just like Pacy, Melody is also from Taiwan. They soon become friends, and this book is the story of their first year of friendship.
This book is riddled with cultural references of Chinese celebrations, traditions, and phrases. The author described her book as one that she wishes she had when she was growing up. It’s not hard to see why. On a very basic level, Pacy and her family are holding on to the Chinese culture and tradition while adapting to the American culture and traditions. The Year of the Dog is a delightful book about the Chinese culture, and traditions, as well as friendship, and finding one’s strength.
The Year of the Rat —published early this year—is the sequel to The Year of the Dog
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The White Elephant
Written by Sid Fleischman
Illustrated by Robert McGuireA white elephant is an idiom for a gift or project that seems like a wonderful thing, but in reality it is burden. For example, a sports car would make a wonderful gift, but the price of gas and the insurance—not to mention the cost of maintaining the running condition of the sports car—makes it a burden for an average person, making an average salary.
Fleischman wrote this story based on an old story where the King of Siam (today’s Thailand) was angry with one of his courtier. The king gave the courtier a white elephant, which drained the courtier’s resources and ruined the courtier. The story Fleischman wrote explains the subtle nuance of the idiom in a way students will easily understand. Fleischman also created a rich world that most students have never experienced.
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Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story
Written by Paula Yoo
Illustrations by Dom LeeIn 1932, Sammy Lee was a Korean boy who liked to go to the community pool to cool off from the summer heat. Restricted to use the community pool only one day a week, there was little Sammy could do besides watch other children play in the pool. One day he watched a boy dive into the “water with hardly a splash.” Sammy was hooked. He spent his Wednesday’s practicing diving. When the summer Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1932, Sammy dreamed of diving in the Olympics. But Sammy’s father wanted him to focus on his schoolwork and become a doctor. Years passed, and Sammy became a doctor, as his father hoped he would. During this time Sammy also served in the US Army during WWII, but he never forgot his dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. In 1946, Sammy got permission from the US Army and competed in the 1946 National Diving Championship. In 1948, Sammy was on the US Olympic Diving team, where he won the Gold and the Bronze metal in diving. In 1952, Sammy came back and defended his Olympic title with another Gold medal. Sammy was the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal and also the first male diver to win gold medals at consecutive Olympics for the same event.
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story is a great book about a great person. The author Paula Yoo did a good job keeping the story moving forward and focused on Sammy Lee. The illustrations are beautiful and matches the mood of the story.
Order Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story from Bookshop Santa Cruz