Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public.
*Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.*
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Simone
“When Simone is awakened by her mom as a wildfire threatens their home, it is the beginning of a life-changing journey. On their way to take shelter in a high school gym, the family passes firefighters from a prison unit battling the fire. Simone’s mom tells her that when she was a girl in Viet Nam, she was forced to evacuate her home after a flood. Joined by other children sheltering in the gym, Simone, a budding artist, encourages everyone to draw as a way to process their situation. After a few days, Simone and her mom are able to return to their home, which is fortunately still standing, and her outlook has changed. As Simone begins creating a piece of art with one of her new friends from the shelter, she realizes that they too can be firefighters, dreaming and working for a more sustainable future. With a poetic, haunting family story by esteemed author Viet Thanh Nguyen and gorgeous art from Vietnamese American illustrator Minnie Phan, this powerful tale introduces an unforgettable young heroine who awakens to a new role fighting for her community and for the future of the planet.” — publisher
Spells to Forget Us
“A witch and a non-magical girl get stuck in an endless cycle of meet-cutes and breakups in this heart-stopping romantic young adult fantasy.” — publisher
The Partition Project
“When her grandmother comes off the airplane in Houston from Pakistan, Mahnoor knows that having Dadi move in is going to disrupt everything about her life. That fact is confirmed when Maha has to give up her bedroom to the grumpy old woman and is assigned to be Dadi’s unofficial babysitter. As an aspiring journalist, Maha knows all about the importance of facts (though her best friend would say that stories are just as important). She can’t wait to start her journalism elective—until their teacher announces that their big assignment will be to film a documentary, which feels way outside of what she would call “journalism.” While Dadi starts to settle into life in Houston and Maha scrambles for a subject for her documentary, the two of them start talking. About Dadi’s childhood in northern India—and about the Partition that forced her to leave her home and relocate to the newly created Pakistan. As details of Dadi’s life are revealed, Dadi’s personal story feels a lot more like the breaking news that Maha loves so much. And before she knows it, she has the subject of her documentary.” — publisher
You Are Here: Connecting Flights
“A powerful and engaging exploration of contemporary East and Southeast Asian American identity through interwoven stories set in a teeming Chicago airport, written by award-winning and bestselling Asian American authors. An incident at a TSA security checkpoint sows rumors and chaos, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—and discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar. Twelve powerhouse Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American. Written by Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, and edited by Ellen Oh.” — publisher
Ánh’s New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language
“Many things are different for Ánh now that they’ve left Vietnam. The weather is colder and they live in a barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warmhearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with learning to speak English. All Ánh wants is to be able to say “thank you” to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.” — publisher
Enlighten Me
“When Bình fights back against a bully who makes fun of his Vietnamese heritage, he expects to be cheered as the hero. He defeated the bad guy, right? Instead, it gets him a stern warning from his vice principal and worried parents. Now he’s stuck on a family trip to a silent meditation retreat. That means no talking—and no video games!—for a whole weekend. Could things possibly get any worse? However, when a nun gathers all the kids to tell them the Jataka tales—the stories of the Buddha’s many past lives—Bình takes a fantastical dive into his imagination and starts to see himself in these stories. Will he retreat further into himself, or will he emerge from the weekend open to change? With any luck, these next few days will prove more enlightening than he thought.” — publisher
Finding Papa
“No one can make Mai laugh like her papa! She loves playing their favorite game—the crocodile chomp, chomp! But then Papa leaves Vietnam in search of a new home for their family in America and Mai misses him very much. Until one day Mama and Mai pack a small bag and say goodbye to the only home Mai has ever known. And so begins Mai and Mama’s long, perilous journey by foot and by boat, through dangers and darkness, to find Papa.” — publisher
How Kids Play Around the World
“Children like to play above all else, either alone or with friends. But how and what they play varies from place to place. Would you like to know about games played in Africa, New Zealand, South America, or Vietnam? This book will show you that some games are pretty much the same wherever you go, while others are completely different and unfamiliar. In each chapter a local kid poses as a guide who introduces us to the typical and most popular games and plays of a certain country or culture. Kids will learn that every nation likes to have fun in their own way and that difference is what makes each culture special.” — publisher
How the Sun and Moon Came to Be
“When Jade Emperor drops two precious gems from heaven, he is devastated, and his sorrow cloaks the whole world in darkness. To get them back, his children must journey to Earth, traverse mountains and rivers, dive to the depths of the East Sea, and petition the Dragon Kings. With such a long and dangerous quest ahead, will they be able to restore the gems and bring light back into the world?” — publisher
I Will Find You Again
“Welcome to Meadowlark, Long Island—expensive homes and good schools, ambition and loneliness. Meet Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano: the driven overachiever and the impulsive wanderer, the future CEO and the free spirit. Best friends for years—weekend trips to Montauk, sleepovers on a yacht—and then, first love. True love. But when Lia disappears, Chase’s life turns into a series of grim snapshots. Anger. Grief. Running. Pink pills in an Altoids tin. A cheating ring at school. Heartbreak and lies. A catastrophic secret. And the shocking truth that will change everything about the way Chase sees Lia—and herself.” — publisher
