Our intention is to acquire and make available ALL picture books featuring indigenous people and people of color published in the U.S. since 2002, including reprints. Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL recommendation. See our related readings page for suggested links for evaluating books.
Suki’s kimono
On her first day of first grade, despite the objections of her older sisters, Suki chooses to wear her beloved Japanese kimono to school because it holds special memories of her grandmother's visit last summer
Ghosts for breakfast
One night, a young boy and his father investigate their frightened neighbors' report of ghosts on a nearby farm
The boy who drew cats
Retelling of a folktale about Akiro, a young Japanese boy, whose obsession with drawing cats leads him to an adventure that would change his life. Based on a legend about the Japanese artist Sesshū Tōyō
Butterflies for Kiri
Kiri, a Japanese American girl who loves to draw and paint, tries to use the origami set she received for her birthday. Includes instructions for making an origami butterfly
Hiromi’s hands
"A biography of Hiromi Suzuki, a Japanese American girl who, with her father's guidance, defies tradition and trains to become a sushi chef at her family's restaurant in New York City"--Provided by publisher
Abby’s birds
Abby moves to a new house in a new neighborhood, and her new neighbor Mrs. Tanaka teaches her to make origami birds
Are you an echo?
In early-1900s Japan, Misuzu Kaneko grew from a precocious bookworm to an instantly-beloved children's poet, but her life ended prematurely and her work was largely forgotten. Decades later, her poems were rediscovered just in time to touch a new generation devastated by the tsunami of 2011. This volume includes a biography of Kaneko followed by a selection of her poems in both English and the original Japanese
I live in Tokyo
A little girl describes the city of Tokyo in which she lives by the passage of the months and seasons of the year
More-igami
"Joey loves things that fold: maps, bed, accordions, you name it. When a classmate's mother turns a plain piece of paper into a beautiful origami crane, his eyes pop. Maybe he can learn origami, too. But it's going to take practice --on his homework, the newspaper, the thirty-eight dollars in his mother's purse. ... Enough! No more folding! How can Joey become an origami master if he can't practice? Happily, he finds a way--and perhaps a chance to make a new friend while he's at it"--Dust jacket
Tea with milk
After growing up near San Francisco, a young Japanese woman returns with her parents to their native Japan, but she feels foreign and out of place