Arkansas NCTA presents "Exploring Asian and Asian American Identity" a recommended reading list for K-12 teachers. For more resource recommendations, check out our Resource Center.
China
The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Sebastia Serra
Recommended Grade Levels: K-3
Keywords: China, Fairy Tales, Holidays, Picture Book
When Ming is sent to the market to trade eggs for rice to cook the New Year’s meal but comes home with an old singing wok instead, his parents wonder what they'll eat for dinner. Then the wok rolls out of the poor family's house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the richest man's home brimming with lots of delicious food, toys and money in tow! This is a very cute Chinese New Year story with lively illustrations and ear-pleasing rhyming words for young readers to follow and read along to learn about kindness, sharing, and generosity.
Recommended teaching activities: The teacher may project a Google map on the screen and ask students to find China and its capital city. The teacher may seek local resources and decorate the classroom, invite a speaker to talk about the Chinese New Year and have students research the traditions about the Chinese New Year.
Confucius: Great Teacher of China by Demi
Recommended Grade Levels: 4-6
Keywords: Philosophy, China, Biography, Picture Book
This informational book about Confucius, tells the life story of the most fundamental Chinese philosopher.
Recommended teaching activities: The teacher may involve students in doing research on the time period when Confucius lived and select some Confucian quotes for students to discuss, then write an opinion essay to support or refute the ideas.
Japan
The Star Festival by Moni Ritchie Hadley, illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa
Recommended Grade Levels: PreK-2
Keywords: Childhood, Japan, Holidays, Multigenerational Family
Dressed in her traditional kimono, Keito, her mom and Oba join the local Star Festival which commemorates a mythological couple separated by the Milky Way. This vibrantly illustrated story weaves in a popular folktale while telling the story of a multigenerational adventure and love at the festival.
Recommended teaching activities: The teacher may use the Skyview app to project the Milky Way and the Orihime and Hikoboshi stars on a screen while reading the book. The class could also do some additional research on the Star Festival and draw pictures of the Milky Way, the two stars, and write one thing they learned about the festival.
Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa, illustrated by Ed Young
Recommended Grade Levels: K-3
Keywords: Childhood, Japan, Natural Disaster, Picture Book
The villagers were celebrating the harvest festival on the beach while an earthquake happened. At the top of the hill, Ojiisan (grandfather) saw the ocean moving away and knew what was coming next. How would he and his grandson Tada warn the 400 villagers down by the shore that a Tsunami was coming? This is a wonderful story about self-sacrifice that every reader will enjoy reading!
Recommended teaching activities: The teacher may project a Google map on the screen and ask students to find Japan and its capital city. The teacher may also orally tell the first part of the story and ask the students to predict what Ojiison and grandson would do to save the villagers on the beach. Then the class will read and verify their predictions.
Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada
Recommended Grade Levels: 5-12
Keywords: Coming-of-age, Japan, Manga, Tsunami & Disaster
Lesson Plan: Tsunami Girl Activity Packet
Tsunami Girl is about a British Japanese girl who navigates survival in Japan after the March 2011 natural disasters. As this book uses an innovative mix of manga and prose, it is accessible to middle grade students.
Korea
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, illustrated by Hyung-ju Ko
Recommended Grade Levels: 7-9
Keywords: Student Activism, South Korea, Graphic Novel, Chaos & Hope
Lesson Plan: Banned Book Club | TeachingBooks Guide
Banned Book Club is about a girl growing up in South Korea during a period of authoritarianism and fights in her own way through the power of reading. This graphic novel explores history through vivid images and is accessible and exciting for middle grades.
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Recommended Grade Levels: 10-12
Keywords: Korean War, Family, Graphic Novel, Biography
The Waiting is about a biography about a young family in the Korean War who must separate to survive then years later struggles to reunite. This graphic novel explores difficult issues such as war and loss through vivid imagery and would be great for high school history students.
Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
Recommended Grade Levels: K-3
Keywords: Korean American Culture, Food, Family, Picture Book
Mini-Unit Plan: Bee-Bim Bop! | Five College Consortium
Bee-Bim Bop! is a vibrant picture book that celebrates Korean food culture through the eyes of a young Korean American girl. The story revolves around the preparation of the traditional dish bibimbap and the joy of sharing a meal with family. This book is engaging for early elementary students and provides a fun way to introduce cultural traditions in the classroom.
Asian American
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Recommended Grade Levels: K-3
Keywords: Childhood, Fiction, New Experiences, Korean Identity
Being a new kid in the school with a Korean name that is difficult to pronounce, Unhei struggles between picking an American name from her classmates’ suggestions collected in a jar and keeping her name that has rich cultural meanings. With the help of a store-owner, her classmates finally learn how to pronounce her name correctly. It is a great book to teach students to be proud of their own identity and cultural heritage, diversity, and self-acceptance. .
Recommended teaching activities: The teacher may project a Google map and ask students to find South Korea and its capital city on the map. The teacher may also build home connections by having students ask their parents/guardians what their names mean and share with the class. Students could then write about their name and why it is important to them.
The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Khoa Le
Recommended Grade Levels: K-3
Keywords: Childhood, Biography, Hmong Identity, Multicultural
Drawing from her own early childhood experiences, Yang depicts a Hmong refugee family that had little money but plenty of love after they moved to the US. This beautifully written and illustrated book, set in the jungles of Laos and the United States, combines the heartwarming stories of two generations. Grandma's smile is the most beautiful thing.
Recommended teaching activities: After reading the story, the teacher may project a Google map on the screen and ask students to find Laos and Minnesota on the map. The teacher may also ask students to share and write one thing they enjoy doing with their grandparents. Younger students can also draw a picture of themselves with their grandparents.
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lai
Recommended Grade Levels: 3-7
Keywords: Vietnamese American, Immigrant Experiences, Southern America, Historical Fiction
Lesson Plan: Inside Out & Back Again | TeachingBooks Guide
Inside Out & Back Again is about a young Vietnamese girl who immigrates to Alabama amidst the fall of Saigon. Use this book in your classroom to teach about wartime Asian immigration to the rural South. 
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Recommended Grade Levels: 7-9
Keywords: Vietnamese American, Queer Identity, Graphic Novel, Fairy Tales
Lesson Plan: The Magic Fish | TeachingBooks Guide
The Magic Fish is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about a young, queer Vietnamese American who learns to communicate with his immigrant parents through fairy tales, a method that enables him to navigate complex issues such as identity. This book is perfect for teaching Vietnamese American identity.
The War Outside by Monica Hesse
Recommended Grade Levels: 7-12
Keywords: Japanese American Internment, World War II, Friendship, Betrayal
Lesson Plan: The War Outside | TeachingBooks Guide
The War Outside is about two girls—one Japanese American and the other German American—who meet in an internment camp during World War II, forming a bond amidst the struggles of war and imprisonment. As Japanese American internment was a large part of Arkansas's involvement in World War II, this book is relevant for US History or English classes.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Recommended Grade Levels: 7-12
Keywords: Taiwan, Magical Realism, Grief, Young Adult Literature
Lesson Plan: The Astonishing Color of After | TeachingBooks Guide
The Astonishing Color of After follows the vivid imagination of a Taiwanese American girl who navigates grief and acceptance after her mother's suicide. The masterful usage of literary devices in this novel are perfect for high school English classrooms and the book's inclusion of Taiwan is relevant to representing modern Asia.
This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura
Recommended Grade Levels: 8-12
Keywords: Japanese American Internment, Prejudice & Racism, Queer Identity, Teen & Young Adult Fiction
Lesson Plan: This Time Will Be Different | TeachingBooks Guide
This Time Will Be Different is about a Japanese American girl who fights to keep her Northern Californian community together amidst tension. This novel is perfect for English classrooms and teaching about racial prejudice and immigrant communities.
Messy Roots by Laura Gao
Recommended Grade Levels: 9-12
Keywords: Wuhanese Immigrant Experiences, Texas, Queer Identity, COVID-19
Messy Roots is about a Wuhanese Texan girl who navigates new revelations about her sexuality, and the growing negative connotation surrounding the town of her birth. This story is relevant to contemporary issues of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism and would be useful in high school English classrooms.
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Recommended Grade Levels: 10-12
Keywords: Japanese American Internment, Graphic Novel, Autobiography, Teen & Young Adult
Lesson Plan: A Teacher's Guide to George Takei's They Called Us Enemy
They Called Us Enemy is about George Takei's personal experiences as a child in a Japanese American relocation center during World War II. The graphic novel directly explores the Japanese internment camp in Rohwer, Arkansas and as such, it would be great to use in a US or Arkansas history class.
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Recommended Grade Levels: 4-7
Keywords: Korean History, Pottery, Orphan, Historical Fiction
A Single Shard is set in 12th century Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty and follows Tree-ear, an orphan boy, as he learns the art of pottery from a master potter. The novel explores themes of perseverance and courage and highlights the significance of Korean pottery and material culture. Perfect for history lessons or literature classes focused on historical fiction.
Southeast Asia
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman
Recommended Grade Levels: 8-9
Keywords: East Asia, South Asia, Folklore & Mythology, Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tale Anthology
Lesson Plan: A Thousand Beginnings and Endings | TeachingBooks Guide
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings explores East and South Asian folklore, including exciting tales of star-crossed lovers and immortals. This compilation is effectively a cultural survey and the language utilized makes it accessible to junior high readers.