Love in the Library | Written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Illustrated by Yas Imamura | Published by Candlewick Press 2022
Learn how the author's grandparents found each other in a Japanese incarceration camp in Idaho. A powerful book about human resilience when Japanese Americans were forced to relocate during WWII.
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade | Written by Lyla Lee & Illustrated by Dung Ho | Published by Aladdin (An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) 2020
I came across Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade when I was looking for a contemporary kid's book about Korean Lunar New Year. It was hard to find! Unfortunately, this book was on a waiting list. But thankfully, I found a poem called New Year Cheer by Linda Sue Park to share with students instead.
This is book 2 in the Mindy Kim chapter book series, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mindy. I was curious about how Korean Lunar New Year's Day would be presented so that's why I read book 2 first. I just checked out the first book: Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business! Can't wait!
When You Trap a Tiger | Written by Tae Keller | Published by Random House Children's Book (A division of Penguin Random House) 2020
When I heard this book had Korean folktales, I immediately bought it. The main character, Lily, moves in with her sick grandma and tries to save her life—even if it means making a deal with a tiger. A middle grade must read!
Next on my list by Tae Keller is Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone.
The Science of Breakable Things | Written by Tae Keller | Published by Yearling (An imprint of Random House Children's Book) 2018
My second book by Tae Keller. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well!
Natalie's mother is depressed, but Natalie doesn't know. She wonders why her mother is withdrawn and sleeps most of the day away. In hopes of saving her, Natalie joins a science competition with friends because the winning group gets prize money. She believes she can use her share of the money to go see the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchids with her mother. Natalie desperately believes that's the only way to get her mother back. Beautifully written!
One day in Ohio, a Chinese immigrant family excitedly pulls off to the side of a road to gather watercress in a muddy ditch. The daughter feels otherwise. She is greatly embarrassed, and her feelings carry over to dinner where she angrily refuses to eat the prepared watercress dish. However, her anger melts away when she learns more about her family's history with famine and through it the loss of her uncle. With a greater understanding and appreciation of her family's past, she decides to try the watercress she no longer despises.
While reading this book, I thought of many inference questions to ask students:
1. Why does the girl duck her head while she gathers watercress?
2. Why does the girl half hope the bag filled with watercress will rip?
3. The parents think free is good, while the girl thinks free is bad. Why is this?
4. At the end of the story, why did the girl decide to try the watercress?
This story brought back my own memories of my grandmother gathering acorns around our neighborhood to make Korean acorn jelly. I remember thinking it was strange that my grandmother did this, and I, too, felt wary about eating a dish made from food not bought at a grocery store or grown in a backyard. I wonder what memories might stir for students after reading this book.
Stand Up, Yumi Chung! | Written by Jessica Kim | Published by Kokila (An imprint of Penguin Random House) 2020
Love, love, love this book! How often would you think a shy Korean American girl secretly wants to be a comedian? I don't think most. Yet, the unlikely combination is what I adore because it helps readers understand the many dimensions of the main character, Yumi. She is more than a quiet Asian girl! Huzza for diverse middle grade book options!
Bee-bim Bop! | Written by Linda Sue Park & Illustrated by Ho Baek Lee | Published by Clarion Books 2008