Asian American, Pacific Islander & Native Hawaiian (AANHPI) Heritage Month was originally commemorated in 1977 as Pacific/Asian American week and celebrated during the first 10 days in May. Over the years, the recognition has evolved and changed into a full-month celebration during May, recognizing and including a wider group of identities in the Asian and Pacific diaspora.
The month of May was chosen for its historical relevance, as the first Japanese immigrants came to the United States on May 7, 1843 as well as the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869—an endeavor almost entirely completed by Chinese laborers.
Throughout the month of May, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will amplify the AANHPI identities through booklists, displays, resources and programs in our locations and communities.
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This joyful and lyrical picture book from New York Times bestselling author Eva Chen and illustrator Sophie Diao is a moving ode to the immigrant experience, as well as a manifesto of self-love for Chinese American children.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.
From the big stage to the US Navy, from laboratories to the boardroom, from the Olympics to the pages in books, these girls and women lead every line. Bold, bright, and empowering profiles by artist Nína Mata place these incredible changemakers at the very front and inspire readers to tap into their own greatness.
A celebration of the variety of Asian eye shapes and hues.
Loosely-rhymed, brief biographies and watercolor illustrations introduce young readers to the accomplishments of fourteen Asian American and Pacific Islander changemakers who are largely missing from U.S. history classes and textbooks.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on hoopla.
When Felix’s grandmother comes from Vietnam to stay with his family in the United States, Felix realizes that he can help Grandma by teaching her English.
Since the day that Ano was born, her heart has been connected to her home. But, this adventurous child has a lot to learn! When Ano begins to dance hula — a storytelling dance form that carries the knowledge, history, and folklore of the Hawaiian people — Ano comes to understand the true meaning of aloha.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on hoopla and in eAudio on hoopla.
In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child’s heart.
In this poignant picture book about family and belonging, the child of a Jewish mother and a South Asian father hears stories about her family history. Sometimes she doesn’t feel Jewish enough or South Asian enough, but comes to realize you can feel—and be—many things at once.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and in eAudio on Libby.
Young Eli’s eight adoring uncles, each bigger and taller than the last, have a unique personality and beard, each elegant to behold, as Eli says good-nights one by one, in a countdown to bedtime book.
A young girl who is a transracial adoptee learns to love her Asian eyes and finds familial connection and meaning through them, even though they look different from her parents’.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on hoopla and in eAudio on hoopla.
When Jun moves from Hong Kong to America, the only words she knows are hello, thank you, I don’t know, and toilet. Her new school feels foreign and terrifying. But when she opens her lunchbox to find her favorite meals—like bao, dumplings, and bok choy—she realizes home isn’t so far away after all.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.
Celebrates the richness and diversity within the Asian American identity and serves as a reminder of our self-worth, our legacy and most of all, our destiny.
Follows three friends who support one another through the ups and downs of learning to skateboard.
This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby and in eAudio on Libby.