May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, and there’s a wealth of books for children and teens introducing key people and historical events important to AANHPI communities. The following nonfiction titles, for an array of ages, range from broad overviews and collective biographies to deep dives into history and powerful accounts of individual lives.
Grades 6-12
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement.
By Paula Yoo. 2021.
Norton/Young Readers. Gr. 8–12.
In 1982, Chinese American Vincent Chin was killed near Detroit, Michigan, and Yoo displays high journalistic standards as she relates the controversy surrounding Chin’s murder, which sparked the Asian American civil rights movement.
Michi Challenges History: From Farm Girl to Costume Designer to Relentless Seeker of the Truth: The Life of Michi Nishiura Weglyn.
By Ken Mochizuki. 2023.
Norton/Young Readers. Gr. 8–11.
In this well-researched book, Mochizuki movingly shares the life of Michi Nishiura Weglyn, author of the revelatory Years of Infamy, who was brought up to be restrained in her speech and respectful of government officials yet be- came a forceful woman demanding justice for all.
Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration.
By Elizabeth Partridge. Illus. by Lauren Tamaki. 2022.
Chronicle. Gr. 6–9.
Partridge and Tamaki use the work of three photographers—two white and free; one Japanese and imprisoned, who relied on contraband equipment—to showcase differences in how each was able to document incarceration camps during WWII.
They Called Us Enemy.
By George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott. Art by Harmony Becker. 2019.
Top Shelf. Gr. 9–12.
Takei’s memoir of his childhood spent in incarceration camps during WWII strikingly interweaves his sometimes- warm childhood memories with historic events and his adult realizations about the cruelty his family experienced. In a later picture book, My Lost Freedom (2024), Takei presents his story for a younger audience.
Middle Grade
A Is for Asian American: An Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Alphabet.
By Virginia Loh-Hagan. Illus. by Tracy Nishimura Bishop. 2022.
Sleeping Bear. Gr. 1–4.
This accessible, appealing resource invitingly introduces facts and culture about AAPI communities, nicely balanc- ing commonalities and differences as well as lighthearted and tough topics.
A Child’s Introduction to Asian American and Pacific Islander History: The Heroes, the Stories, and the Cultures That Helped to Build America.
By Naomi Hirahara. Illus. by Sarah Demonteverde. 2024.
Black Dog & Leventhal. Gr. 3–7.
Focusing less on individuals and more on a broader picture, this vibrantly illustrated book introduces the history of AAPI people in America and topics relevant to their ex- periences, such as civil rights and cultural practices.
The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee.
By Julie Leung. Illus. by Julie Kwon. 2021.
Little, Brown. Gr. 2–4.
Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military, is the subject of this illuminating, moving, and well-researched picture-book biography.
Girls to the Front: 40 Asian American Women Who Blazed a Trail.
By Niña Mata. Illus. by the author. 2025.
Harper. Gr. 3–7.
Mata’s creative anthology focuses on 40 incredible Asian American women from the twentieth and twenty-first cen-turies who were vanguards of change and leadership in the nation.
Made in Asian America: A History for Young People.
By Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat. 2024.
HarperCollins/Quill Tree. Gr. 5–8.
Covering notable people in addition to key historic moments and important concepts, this approachable, thoughtful, and compelling volume highlights Asian Americans’ struggles with injustice as well as their courage and resilience.
Young Readers
A Banquet for Cecilia: How Cecilia Chiang Revolutionized Chinese Food in America.
By Julie Leung. Illus. by Melissa Iwai. 2025.
Little, Brown. K–Gr. 3.
Fleeing invasion by Japan, Chiang spent her childhood traveling by foot throughout China, where she learned a variety of regional cooking techniques and recipes—the inspiration for her ground-breaking restaurant in San Francisco many years later.
Incredible: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Changed the World.
By Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. Illus. by Dion MBD.
2025.
Viking. Gr. 1–3.
This collection of 38 brief, eye-catchingly illustrated biographies showcases the lives and work of extraordinary Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, both contemporary and historical.
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist.
By Julie Leung. Illus. by Chris Sasaki. 2019.
Random/Schwartz & Wade. Gr. 1–3.
Shining a spotlight on the many contributions Asian immigrants have made to our culture, this biography introduces Tyrus Wong, who migrated to America from China and with perseverance and talent, eventually be- came the (uncredited) art director for Bambi.
We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America.
By Joanna Ho. Illus. by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. 2024.
Scholastic/Orchard. K–Gr. 3.
Ho’s lyrical prose is beautifully complemented by Phing-bodhipakkiya’s bold, stunning illustrations in this evocative celebration of Asian American identity. Robust back matter expands upon each stanza with information about specific people and events.
Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country.
By Kelly Yang. 2022.
Dial. PreS–Gr. 2.
This sure-to-inspire offering by best-seller Yang features a parade of Asian American changemakers throughout the decades, as well as a history lesson on relatively little- known yet crucial contributions of Asians to the U.S.
This article was originally published in Booklist Reader, the magazine for library patrons, from the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book review publication, Booklist.
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