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.
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Chirri & Chirra
Two young girls take a bicycle ride through the forest where they find a cafe to have tea and coffee, a bakery to enjoy a snack, and a hotel where they join in a concert with forest animals.
Chirri & Chirra, In the Tall Grass
Tiny Chirri and Chirra explore tall grass, where they eat honey sponge cake with bumblebees, drink juice with beetles, help a lizard make candy, then pedal home by firefly light.
Chirri & Chirra, Underground
Behind a hole in their basement wall, Chirri and Chirra discover a network of tunnels. Join them as they visit moles, discover caves full of glowing flowers, poke at the roots of growing plants, traverse a subterranean lake, and spend the night with a family of badgers! The fourth book in the Japanese Chirri & Chirra series, this underground adventure is sure to charm and delight.
Write to me
A touching story about Japanese American children who corresponded with their beloved librarian while they were imprisoned in World War II internment camps. When Executive Order 9066 is enacted after the attack at Pearl Harbor, children's librarian Clara Breed's young Japanese American patrons are to be sent to prison camp. Before they are moved, Breed asks the children to write her letters and gives them books to take with them. Through the three years of their internment, the children correspond with Miss Breed, sharing their stories, providing feedback on books, and creating a record of their experiences. Using excerpts from children's letters held at the Japanese American National Museum, author Cynthia Grady presents a difficult subject with honesty and hope.
Cool melons–turn to frogs!
For hundreds of years, school children in Japan have been introduced to poetry through the work of Issa. Born in 1763 on a farm in central Japan, Issa began writing poetry as a young child, inspired by his deep love for the natural world. Later in his boyhood and throughout his life, poetry was also Issa's refuge in times of joy and in times of suffering. Matthew Gollub's poignant rendering of Issa's life and over thirty of his best-loved poems, along with Kazuko Stone's sensitive and humorous watercolor paintings, make Cool Melons a classic introduction to Issa's work for readers of all ages. With authentic Japanese calligraphy, a detailed Afterword, and exhaustive research by both author and illustrator, this is also an inspirational book about haiku, writing, nature, and life.
Ten oni drummers
One by one, ten tiny oni, Japanese goblin-like creatures, grow larger and larger as they beat their drums on the sand, chasing away bad dreams. Includes the Japanese characters for the numbers from one to ten.
Baseball saved us
A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over.
The discovery of ramen
Dao, a red panda, guides Ethan and Emma, two American school children, back into time to discover how ramen was created in Japan and how the noodle soup became popular worldwide. Includes glossary
How the queen found the perfect cup of tea
A pampered queen sets out in a hot air balloon with her butler, James, in search of the perfect cup of tea and after stopping in Japan, India, and Turkey, she returns home knowing exactly what she has been missing.
The storm
"As this evocative picture book begins, a little boy is excited about a trip to the beach with his parents planned for the following day. But a bad storm is coming, and he has started to worry they won't be able to go. He watches as the sky grows darker through the afternoon. His mother and father close the shutters and bring the potted plants indoors. Then the storm arrives. "All through dinner, the rain beats hard against the shutters. The wind howls and blows," the boy says. "I try not to be scared." At bedtime, he thinks, "I wish I had a ship with big propellers that would spin stronger winds to drive the storm away." While asleep, his wish becomes his dream, and he manages to blow away the dark clouds with his imaginary vessel. Then, to his delight, when he awakens, he finds his dream of clear blue skies has come true --Publisher's website