Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

amiller8979
May 13
5 min read

by Amber Miller

May 13, 2025

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, celebrated in May, is a time to honor and celebrate the diverse cultures, histories, and contributions of AANHPI communities through various events, including highlighting AANHPI literature. Children's literature plays a crucial role in this celebration, offering opportunities to introduce young readers to diverse narratives and perspectives. The New York Public Library has curated three impressive AANHPI Reading Lists exploring books for adults, kids, and teens that spotlight experiences within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Visit the NYPL for the entire AANHPI recommended reading list

Here are some standout articles, interviews, and booklists by and about Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans to help acknowledge, celebrate, and amplify the voices of children's book creators of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander descent. Also, look to the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) for more information and the winners of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature.

Jack Wong: "On the Cover"; his 2023 BGHB Picture Book Award Speech for When You Can Swim
Thanhhà Lại: 2023 BGHB Fiction and Poetry Honor Speech for When Clouds Touch Us
"The Illustrator's Eye: Illustrating in Layers: The Wonder of Preseparation Art" by JooHee Yoon
Sabaa Tahir: 2022 BGHB Fiction and Poetry Award Speech for All My Rage and her virtual interview
"After the Call: Star Charts" by Cynthia Kadohata
Grace Lin: her 2022 Children's Literature Legacy Award speech and profile; her May/June 2022 Horn Book Magazine Special Issue: The Newbery Centennial cover; and "Speak with Us, Not for Us"
Linda Sue Park: "Blowing the Horn: The Benevolence of Crickets"; "From Trend to Norm: How the Last Twenty Years of the Newbery Can Guide Us"; and "Writer vs. Author — The Zena Sutherland Lecture"
Ellen Oh on the 5th anniversary of publishing Flying Lessons & Other Stories from Dean Schneider's "Field Notes: Teaching Flying Lessons & Other Stories"
Andrea Wang: 2021 BGHB Picture Book Honor Speech for Watercress and her virtual BGHB acceptance
Jason Chin: his 2022 Caldecott Medal speech and profile; his 2021 BGHB Picture Book Honor Speech for Watercress and his virtual BGHB acceptance
Paula Yoo: 2021 BGHB Nonfiction Award Speech for From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry
Christina Soontornvat: "Seeing Ourselves: Listen to the Kids"; 2021 BGHB Nonfiction Honor Speech for All Thirteen; her virtual BGHB acceptance; and her Calling Caldecott post on Wishes
Sayantani DasGupta: "The Writer's Page: Imagining Our Way to the Other Side: Children's Literature and Radical Imagination"
Tae Keller: "After the Call: Nothing Short of Life-Changing"; 2021 Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech; a profile of the author; and 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction Honor Award speech for When You Trap a Tiger
Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad: 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Honor speeches for It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way
Erin Entrada Kelly: "Blowing the Horn: I'm Here Too"; "After the Call: On the Bookmark"; 2018 Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech and profile of the author
"Reading Without Walls: A Conversation with Gene Luen Yang" and more by and about the author/illustrator
"Rule Breakers: The Good Kid" by Remy Lai
Bao Phi and Thi Bui: 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Honor speeches for A Different Pond
"Transformers: Reimagining the World" by Malinda Lo
Profile of 2015 Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat by Connie Hsu
"Americans with the Wrong Ancestors" by Clara Breed (from 1943)

Interviews

Booklists

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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