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.
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 England, she returns home knowing exactly what she has been missing.
Sakura’s cherry blossoms
"Sakura's dad gets a new job in America, so she and her parents make the move from their home in Japan. When she arrives in the States, most of all she misses her grandmother and the cherry blossom trees, under which she and her grandmother used to play and picnic. She wonders how she'll ever feel at home in this new place, with its unfamiliar language and landscape. One day, she meets her neighbor, a boy named Luke, and begins to feel a little more settled. When her grandmother becomes ill, though, her family takes a trip back to Japan. Sakura is sad when she returns to the States and once again reflects on all she misses. Luke does his best to cheer her up -- and tells her about a surprise he knows she'll love, but she'll have to wait till spring. In the meantime, Sakura and Luke's friendship blooms and finally, when spring comes, Luke takes her to see the cherry blossom trees flowering right there in her new neighborhood"--Provided by publisher
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
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
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
The sign painter
An assignment to paint a large billboard in the desert changes the life of an aspiring artist
Mr. Hiroshi’s garden
While visiting her grandmother for the summer in Vancouver, Mary, a young girl from the prairies, befriends her neighbor Mr. Hiroshi, and helps him with his garden. When Mr. Hiroshi is interned because of his Japanese ancestry, Mary promises to take care of his garden
The hole in the middle
Morgan was born with a big hole through his middle that gives him a strange, empty feeling all of the time, but when his good friend Yumi becomes ill, he finds that helping her makes him feel whole
Miranda and the magic shoes
"When Miranda finds a pair of funny-looking flip flops in her attic and puts them on, she never imagines she will be whisked away to a foreign country! Join Miranda as she makes a new friend and learns all about a new culture"-- Back cover
Erika-san
After falling in love with Japan as a little girl, Erika becomes a teacher and fulfills her childhood dream by moving to a remote Japanese island