photos by Erin G, Laura Anne Wilson (boy), Laura Anne Wilson (girl).

Since May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, thought I’d share some of the picture books I’ve read and enjoyed recently. When I think of this genre, several award-winning Asian American author/illustrators immediately come to mind — Ed Young, Allen Say (whom I profiled here), Grace Lin, and Yangsook Choi. Their books are consistently excellent and widely available.

But when it comes to finding books by other authors (especially those who aren’t also illustrators), it takes a little extra detective work. Even though more multicultural books are being published these days, many of them don’t receive the critical attention they deserve. I do get excited when I check the indie publishers who specialize in multicultural titles and see some interesting books on their lists, but am disappointed because my public library doesn’t own most of the titles, and my local bookstore doesn’t stock them. 

Me and the only Asian PB I remember from childhood.
(Don’t even get me started on political correctness!)

The good news? I’ve been noticing more books about the Korean American experience. When I was in grade school, there was nothing about Korean history or culture, fiction or nonfiction. I had to wait until I was old enough to read the encyclopedia. But single titles? Nada. In Hawai’i, I was surrounded by so many ethnicities and absorbed lots of firsthand “knowledge,” but I couldn’t read about any of it. It was like my identity wasn’t even valid. I grew up believing important things were found in books, but Koreans, other Asians, and Hawaiians simply weren’t featured in them.

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