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Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2025

Twelve book cover images featuring kid, teen, and adult titles by and about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders overlay a peach colored background with a geometric pattern.

Since 1992, May has been designated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month by Congress. The month was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in May of 1843 and to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May of 1869—which was predominantly built by Chinese immigrants (asianpacificheritage.gov).

With a library card, you can access stories by and about AAPI voices this month and all year round. Read on for recommendations of kid, teen, and adult titles to add to your reading list.

In addition to browsing our collection, we invite you to commemorate AAPI Month with us on Saturday, June 7 at 10AM at Tuckahoe Library. We will have a special visit from picture book authors Hanh Bui and Chiêu Anh Urban followed by a Vietnamese Fan Dance (Múa Quạt) from VCU's Vietnamese Student Association. Books will be available for purchase and signing. 

EASY (PICTURE BOOKS)

A Morning with Grandpa by Sylvia Liu – A Morning with Grandpa will have you up and moving as Mei Mei and her grandpa, Gong Gong, teach each other (and readers) basic tai chi and yoga movements.

Eli and the Uncles by Jehan Madhani – In this countdown to bedtime story, young Eli says goodnight to all eight of his uncles. Each uncle has a unique personality and equally unique beard to match! Though they may be different, they all share big love for their nephew.

I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story by Kerisa Greene (also available on Hoopla) – Big changes lie ahead when Hương and her family move to America and leave Vietnam to escape the war. But with the help of new friends and family by her side, Hương learns that home is where the love is.

You might also enjoy:

KIDS

PAWS: Gabby Gets it Together by Nathan Fairbairn – Fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Baby-Sitters Club will enjoy this new series about three best friends who start a dog-walking business because none of them are allowed to have pets of their own. But running PAWS is tougher than it looks, and they will have to navigate clashing personalities and disagreements in order to save their business and friendships.

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat (also available on Hoopla) – Afraid that her father’s true reputation as a conman will be revealed, twelve-year-old Sai, an assistant to a well-respected mapmaker, jumps at the chance to join a new expedition. However, when she learns that the crew may have secrets of their own and the trip will be dragon-riddled and dangerous, she’ll have to decide if saving her reputation is worth the risk.   

Winston Chu series by Stacey Lee (also available on Hoopla) – After inadvertently preventing a robbery at Mr. Pang’s Chinatown oddities shop, Winston is gifted a broomstick and dustpan as a thank you. Unimpressed by his reward, Winston throws both in a closet. It’s only when things —and people— start going missing that he realizes there may be magic (and danger) behind his broomstick, dustpan, and Mr. Pang’s store.

Other AAPI children’s book highlights include:

TEEN

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier (also available on Hoopla) – Hanalei of Tamarind has an opportunity to right her father’s wrong when she meets a dragon who can bring her home from exile. Now Hanalei and her friend, Sam, will need to fight to find a dragonfruit —an egg from a seadragon— in order to cure Sam’s mother’s sickness and secure her reign of Tamarind. 

Sleepless in Dubai by Sajni Patel (also available on Hoopla) – A trip of a lifetime to Dubai is foiled when Nikki discovers Yash, the boy-next-door, will be joining. Despite their tension, Nikki’s family pushes her and Yash together, and Nikki discovers that maybe her Diwali trip isn’t ruined after all.

Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Incarceration by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (also available on Hoopla) – Author Jeanne Wakatsuki shares her experience coming of age  in Manzanar, a Japanese incarceration camp established in California during World War II, in this memoir about finding strength and purpose.

You may want to add these to your TBR (to-be-read) list too:

ADULT

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim – It’s a race against the clock when Mia’s father and brother go out for a walk and never return. Any plausible explanation is immediately shattered when her brother, who is nonverbal, returns home alone and covered in blood. Long held secrets may be her family’s only key to piecing together the mystery of her dad’s whereabouts.

Horse Barbie: A Memoir by Geena Rocero – Author Geena Rocero shares her story about moving from the Philippines, where she was the country’s highest-earning trans pageant queen, to the United States, where she built a career as a model but at the expense of being true to herself. Now open about her identity, Rocero shares her journey to embracing her authentic self and becoming a trans rights advocate. 

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan – Readers are transported back to 1945 Malaya —now Malaysia— where a mother’s decision to become a spy for the Japanese a decade earlier has come back to haunt her, and her family, who are now in danger.

Plus, be sure to check out:

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