Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

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Titles that we recommend are featured below. The ones with reviews are noted with an asterisk (*). Some titles are recommended with a caveat. At the end of this page, we provide a list of titles on this theme, with reviews, that we do not recommend.

Elementary | Middle School | Young Adult | Adult | Learn More

 

Elementary

10 Gulab Jamuns: Counting with an Indian Sweet Treat
By Sandhya Acharya, Vanessa Alexandre

111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl
By Rina Singh and Marianne Ferrer (Illustrator)

Always Anjali *
By Sheetal Sheth and Jessica Blank (Illustrator)

American Desi
By Jyoti Rajan Gopal and Supriya Kelkar (Illustrator)

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao
By Kat Zhang, Charlene Chua
Bee-Bim Bop!
By Linda Sue Park, Ho Baek Lee (Illustrator)

 

Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes
By Mahak Jain and Anu Chouhan (Illustrator)

 

Bilal Cooks Daal
By Aisha Saeed and Anoosha Syed (Illustrator)

Bindu's Bindis
By Supriya Kelkar and Parvati Pillai (Illustrator)

The Boy & the Bindi
By Vivek Shray

The Bracelet
By Yoshiko Uchida

Bravo, Anjali! *
By Sheetal Sheth and Lucia Soto (Illustrator)

Bringing In the New Year
By Grace Lin

Brown Is Beautiful
By Supriya Kelkar and Noor Sofi (Illustrator)
Butterflies for Kiri
By Cathyn Falwell

 

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix
By Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee
Cilla Lee-Jenkins: The Epic Story
By Susan Tan and Dana Wulfekotte (Illustrator)

Coolies
By Yin

Cora Cooks Pancit
By Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
Dancing in Thatha's Footsteps
By Srividhya Venkat and Kavita Ramchandran (Illustrator)

 

A Different Pond *
By Bao Phi, Thi Bui (Illustrator)

Dim Sum for Everyone!
By Grace Lin, Grace Lin (Illustrator)

Drawn Together
By Minh Le, Dan Santat
A Dupatta Is . . .
By Marzieh Abbas and Anu Chouhan (Illustrator)

 

Emma's Rug
By Allen Say

 

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
By Joanna Ho and Dung Ho (Illustrator)
Eyes That Speak to the Stars
By Joanna Ho and Dung Ho (Illustrator)
Eyes That Weave the World's Wonders
By Joanna Ho,  Liz Kleinrock, Dung Ho (Illustrator)

The Favorite Daughter
By Allen Say
Fish for Jimmy
By Katie Yamasaki

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up*
By Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi
Ganesha Goes Green
By Lakshmi Thamizhmani and Debasmita Dasgupta (Illustrator)

 

A Gift for Amma: Market Day in India
By Meera Sriram and Mariona Cabassa (Illustrator)

 

Goodnight Ganesha
By Nadia Salomon and Poonam Mistry (Illustrator)
Grandfather's Journey
By Allen Say

 

Grandmother's Visit
By Betty Quan

Grandpa Across the Ocean
By Hyewon Yum
Grandpa's Scroll
By Ginger Park,  Frances Park, and Kim Dong Hoon (Illustrator)
Hair Oil Magic
By Anu Chouhan

Hair Twins *
By Raakhee Mirchandani and Holly Hatam (Illustrator)

Hannah and the Ramadan Gift *
By Qasim Rashid and Aaliya Jaleel (Illustrator)
Hiromi's Hands
By Lynne Barasch

 

Home Is in Between *
By Mitali Perkins and Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)
Ho'onani: Hula Warrior
By Heather Gale and illustrated by Mika Song 

Hot Hot Roti for Daddy-Ji
By F. Zia, Ken Min

How to Wear a Sari
By Darshana Khiani and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Illustrator)

Hundred Years of Happiness
By Thanhhà Lai and Nguyen Quang (Illustrator)  Kim Lien (Illustrator)

I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story
By Martha Brockenbrough, Grace Lin and Julia Kuo (Illustrator)

I Dream of Popo
By Livia Blackburne and Julia Kuo (Illustrator)

I'll Go and Come Back
By Rajani Larocca and Sara Palacios (Illustrator)

Jasmine Toguchi, Flamingo Keeper
By Debbi Michiko Florence and Elizabet Vukovic (Illustrator)

Juna's Jar
By Jane Bahk, Felicia Hoshino (Illustrator)

Kapaemahu *
By Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Daniel Sousa (Illustrator)

The Katha Chest
By Radhiah Chowdhury and Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)

Kite Flying
By Grace Lin
Kiyoshi’s Walk *
By Mark Karlins and Nicole Wong (Illustrator)

 

Landed
By Milly Lee, Yangsook Choi (Illustrator)

Laxmi's Mooch *
By Shelly Anand and Nabi H. Ali (Illustrator)

Leila in Saffron
By Rukhsanna Guidroz and Dinara Mirtalipova (Illustrator)

The Lotus Seed
By Sherry Garland

Love in the Library
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura (Illustrator)

Magic Ramen The Story of Momofuku Ando
By Andrea Wang, Kana Urbanowicz

Mama and Papa Have a Store
By Amelia Lau Carling
Spanish edition: La Tienda de Mamá Y Papá
Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School: Based on a True Story *
By Traci Huahn and Michelle Jing Chan (Illustrator)

 

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
By Supriya Kelkar and Alea Marley (Illustrator)

A Map into the World
By Kao Kalia Yang

Maribel's Year
By Michelle Sterling and Sarah Gonzales (Illustrator)

Mina vs. the Monsoon
By Rukhsanna Guidroz, Debasmita Dasgupta

Mommy Eats Fried Grasshoppers
By Vilayvanh Bender
The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition
By Shirin Shamsi and Tarun Lak (Illustrator)

Mountain Chef
By Annette Bay Pimentel, Rich Lo

My Bindi
By Gita Varadarajan and Archana Sreenivasan (Illustrator)

My Dadima Wears A Sari
By Kashmira Sheth

My Footprints
By Bao Phi, Basia Tran
My Name Is Yoon
By Helen Recorvits, Gabi Swiatkowska (Illustrator)
Mystery Bottle
By Kristen Balouch

The Mystery of the Painted Fan
By Linda Trinh and Clayton Nguyen (Illustrator)
The Name Jar
By Yangsook Choi

 

The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story
By Tina Cho, Jess X. Snow (Illustrator)

Ohana Means Family
By Ilima Loomis and Kenard Pak (Illustrator)

Ojiichan's Gift
By Chieri Uegaki, Genevieve Simms (Illustrator)

One Day
By Joanna Ho and Faith Pray (Illustrator)

Our Favorite Day
By Joowon Oh

Paper Son: Lee's Journey to America
By Helen Foster James
Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story
By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee (Illustrator)
Punky Aloha
Written and illustrated by Shar Tuiasoa

Rani's Remarkable Day
By Suma Subramaniam and Shreya Gupta (Illustrator)

Redwoods
By Jason Chin

Rise Up and Write It: With Real Mail, Posters, and More!
By Nandini Ahuja and Anoosha Syed (Illustrator)

Ritu Weds Chandni
By Ameya Narvankar 

The Rock in My Throat
By Kao Kalia Yang and Jiemei Lin (Illustrator)

A Sari for Ammi
By Mamta Nainy and Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)

Say My Name
By Joanna Ho and Khoa Le (Illustrator)

The Secret of the Jade Bangle
By Linda Trinh and Clayton Nguyen (Illustrator)

Seven Golden Rings: A Tale of Music and Math
By Rajani Larocca and Archana Sreenivasan (Illustrator)

She Sang for India: How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change
By Suma Subramaniam and Shreya Gupta (Illustrator)

Simone *
By Viet Thanh Nguyen and Minnie Phan (Illustrator)

Sona and the Wedding Game
Kashmira Sheth, Yoshiko Jaeggi (Illustrator)

Soup Day: A Picture Book
By Melissa Iwai
The Story of Olympic Swimmer Duke Kahanamoku
By Ellie Crowe and Richard Waldrep (Illustrator)

 

Sunflower Sisters
By Monika Singh Gangotra and Michaela Dias-Hayes (Illustrator)

Tall Story
By Candy Gourlay

That's Not My Name!
By Anoosha Syed

Today Is Different
By Doua Moua and Kim Holt (Illustrator)

Tofu Takes Time
By Helen H. Wu and Julie Jarema (Illustrator)

Tomatoes for Neela
By Padma Lakshmi and Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)

The Ugly Vegetables
By Grace Lin, Grace Lin (Illustrator)
Usha and the Big Digger
By Amitha Jagannath Knight and Sandhya Prabhat (Illustrator)
 
Watercress
By Andrea Wang and Jason Chin (Illustrator)
We Are Gems: Healing from Anti-Asian Microaggressions through Self-love & Solidarity
By Ko Kim, Christine Yoon (Illustrator), and Andrew Hem (Illustrator)
 
When Lola Visits
By Michelle Sterling and Aaron Asis (Illustrator)

When the Cousins Came
By Katie Yamasaki

Where Three Oceans Meet *
By Rajani Larocca and Archana Sreenivasan (Illustrator)

Yang Warriors
By Kao Kalia Yang and Billy Thao (Illustrator)

 

Middle School

Ahimsa *
By Supriya Kelkar

Amal Unbound

Amal Unbound*
By Aisha Saeed

Amina's Voice*
By Hena Khan
Baseball Saved Us
By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee
Every Falling Star*
By Sungju Lee and Susan McClelland

 

Finally Heard
By Kelly Yang
Finally Seen
By  Kelly Yang

 

Finding Junie Kim
By Ellen Oh

Front Desk*
By Kelly Yang
A discussion guide is here: Scholastic's Study Guide
Listen, Slowly
By Thanhha Lai

A Long Pitch Home
By Natalie Dias Lorenzi

Made in Asian America: A History for Young People
By Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat

link to More to the Story book review

More to the Story *
By Hena Khan

Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean
By Sigrid Schmalzer, Melanie Linden Chan

The Night Diary
By Veera Hiranandani
A Place to Belong
By Cynthia Kadohata and Julia Kuo (Illustrator)

Project Mulberry*
By Linda Sue Park

Samira Surfs
By Rukhsanna Guidroz and Fahmida Azim (Illustrator)

Save Me a Seat*
By Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan 
Saving Sunshine *
By Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan (Illustrator)
Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
By Jessica Kim
See Sarah Park Dahlen's: Discussion Guide for Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 

A Step from Heaven
By An Na

 

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh*
By Uma Krishnaswami

 

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame *
By Supriya Kelkar
Sugar
By Jewell Parker Rhodes

 

Sylvia & Aki*
By Winifred Conkling

 

They Called Us Enemy
By George Takei and Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and Harmony Becker

Three Keys (a Front Desk Novel)
By Kelly Yang
A discussion guide is here: Scholastic's Study Guide

 

Troublemaker *
By John Cho
 

We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America
By Joanna Ho and Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (Illustrator)

The Whole Story of Half a Girl*
By Veera Hiranandani

A Wish in the Dark
By Christina Soontornvat

 

Young Adult

American Born Chinese
By Gene Luen Yang
The Cargo Rebellion: Those Who Chose Freedom
By Jason Chang, Alexi Dudden, Ben Barson, and Kim Inthavong (Illustrator)

Darius the Great Is Not Okay*
By Adib Khorram

Dear Miss Breed
By Joanne Oppenheim
If They Come for Us: Poems *
By Fatimah Asghar

Love from A to Z*
By S. K. Ali
Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience
By Lawson Fusao Inada (Editor), Patricia Wakida (Preface by), William M. Hohri (Afterword by)

 

Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology
By Jeff Yang, Parry Shen, Keith Chow
A Time to Dance*
By Padma Venkatraman

 

Vietnamerica
By G B Tran

We Are Not Strangers
By Josh Tuininga

We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration
By Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura and Ross Ishikawa (Illustrator)
When a Brown Girl
Flees *
By Aamna Qureshi

Which Side Are You On
By Ryan Lee Wong

Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers
By Lois-Ann Yamanaka

 

Adult

Floating, Brilliant, Gone
By Franny Choi

 

A Free Life
By Ha Jin

 

A Good Fall
By Ha Jin
Hidden Voices: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in United States History
By NYCDOE Social Studies Department and the Museum of the City of New York
FREE DOWNLOAD
Insurrecto
By Gina Apostol

The Kindness of Color
By Janice Munemitsu, foreword by Sylva Mendez

 

The Last Communist Virgin
By Wang Ping

 

The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration
Edited by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung
Somebody's Daughter
By Marie Myung-Ok Lee
The Sympathizer: A Novel
By Viet Thanh Nguyen

 

Teaching about Asian Pacific Americans *
Edited by Edith Wen Chen and Glenn Omatsu
Teaching Asian America in Elementary Classrooms 
By Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Sohyun An, and Esther June Kim

Learn More

Not recommended

 

Learn about our criteria for selecting titles at Social Justice Books. Feedback on these lists and suggestions for additional titles are welcome.

Most of the books on these lists are linked for more information or purchase to Bookshop (an indie bookstore platform) and / or Powells.com (an independent, unionized bookstore). A small percentage from book sales through these links goes to Teaching for Change.

 

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