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Sophisticated readers will appreciate the poetic examination of family and the life of one woman, her past, and the influence on the members of her family. All new poems by Nye remind us of that we all have family and a community, as we meet and empathize with the poet’s late mother.

A small dwarf rabbit named Mishka helps an Afghan family relocated to the Netherlands find home and a sense of permanence. Based on Elman’s experience, this touching family story is enhanced by delicate, textured illustrations.

Magnolia thought that her summer would be boring until she met Iris Lam, new to the city. Together, Iris and Magnolia venture to reunite lost socks with their owners. Along the way, they meet fascinating, quirky people in this charming, humorous novel illustrated with line drawings.

Growing up in Damascus, the pool was Yusra Mardini’s happy place. She learned to swim before she could walk. And with swimming came a dream ― to compete in the Olympic games. But when war came to Syria, Yusra’s home ― and her pool ― were no longer safe. Yusra and her sister set out on a harrowing journey, crossing the sea in search of safety. Crammed on a too-small refugee boat, disaster strikes when the boat’s motor breaks. Scared but determined, Yusra plunges into the water and starts swimming.

Húóng lived in Vietnam until the bombs forced her family to flee to a new country. Not only were the sights, sounds, and smells different, but she also took on a new name.  As she adjusted to her new home, the child became comfortable with her two names: Húóng and Jennifer. An author’s note details the actual family story and includes a photograph and glossary.

Jade is a girl who lives in two worlds and, coming from a multicultural family, she’s on a quest to understand her identity and where she truly belongs. She is trying to find her place in the world but feels different from the other kids at school. Jade’s parents have their unique approach to love and care. Sometimes Jade is embarrassed by Mama’s accent and she can’t understand why she is not just like any other mother she knows. Jade starts rebelling against her mother’s traditional ways of showing love, especially through food. It’s a struggle that takes her on a path of discovery, as she learns about her family’s rich heritage and her mother’s challenging past in Vietnam and as an immigrant. Jade then discovers that even though Mama doesn’t hug or say I love you, the healing aroma of ginger, green onions, and chicken broth does.

An Asian American girl shares how her family expresses their love for one another through actions rather than words. How do you tell your family that you love them? For Hana, love is all around her: Mom stirs love into a steaming pot of xifan. Dad cheers with love at her soccer game. Hana says good night with love by rubbing her grandma’s feet and pouring her grandpa his sleepy tea. And as the light fades, Hana’s parents tuck her into bed and give her a good night kiss. So many families express their love in all they do for one another, every day. Here is a book that wraps you in a hug and invites your family to share their own special ways of showing love.

Storms delay travelers at a Chicago airport but it is a lost toddler and a mistake by TSA staff that connects young Asian Americans in this series of interconnected short stories by a range of Asian American writers. Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, the book highlights the diversity of Asian Americans as well as the biases they often confront.

When Esperanza and her family are forced to leave Cuba, they work hard to make a home for themselves and others who also had to flee to the U.S. The artist’s signature illustrations further enliven the warm family saga. 

Bubbe Rosa complains about everything. Her grandson, Benjy, remains gentle and patient with her as they shop and walk about the city. Gradually, Bubbe recalls being Jewish in Nazi Germany and other memories, both sweet and tough. This touching tale is presented in graphic format in grayscale illustrations.

A celebration of the beauty, history, and magic behind names. Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl’s mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. 

Three students are immigrants from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia and have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English in their new American elementary school. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their home country, language, and identity.

Danbi is thrilled to start her new school in America. But a bit nervous too, for when she walks into the classroom, everything goes quiet. Everyone stares. Danbi wants to join in the dances and the games, but she doesn’t know the rules and just can’t get anything right. With a spark of imagination, she makes up a new game and leads her classmates on a parade to remember.

Aref flies with his mother from Oman to rejoin his father in Michigan so his parents can attend graduate school. While the boy misses his much-loved grandfather, Sidi, he gradually adjusts to his life and enjoys several surprises. Aref and Sidi were first introduced in The Turtle of Oman, though this book stands alone. The hallmark of both novels is the lyrical language and loving relationships.

When five-year-old Luli joins her new English as a Second Language class, the playroom is quiet. Luli can’t speak English, neither can anyone else. That’s when she has a brilliant idea to host a tea party and bring them all together. Luli removes her teapot, thermos, and teacups from her bag and calls out “Chá!” in her native Chinese. One by one, her classmates pipe up in recognition: in Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili. Tea is a tasty language they all know well, and it gives them a chance to share and enjoy each other’s company. 

When a young boy and his mother travel overseas to her childhood home in Korea, the town is not as he imagined. The boy feels like an outsider — until they visit the river where his mother used to play, and he sees that the spirit and happiness of those days remain. Told through a child’s-eye view, the story honors the immigrant experience and the timeless bond between parent and child, past and present.

A young immigrant from South Korea finds community and friendship in an apartment house filled with other newly arrived kids. When Jae looks out the window of his new home, he wishes he could still see his old village, his old house, and his old friends. Jae just arrived from South Korea and doesn’t even speak the new language. Yet, he soon meets a girl with a colorful bird perched on her shoulder. Rosa knows just how Jae feels and the two become fast friends. Not only does Rosa show Jae his new neighborhood but she shows him how his imagination can bring back memories of his old home. 

There was a country at war, and that is where this story begins.” Thus starts a tale that is both universal and specific, in which Azzi, a sweet and unique little girl serves as an everychild representing all refugees. The narrative follows her family’s escape, arduous journey, and difficulties settling into their new land and ends with hope for a peaceful and loving new life. 

Lyrical text describes wishes as a family leaves its homeland in search of a better life. The boat wishes it was bigger, the home wishes it was closer, and the young narrator wishes they didn’t have to wish any more. Detailed illustrations in a muted palette evoke both the difficulty and hope of the journey. 

What does summer smell like? How does it taste? When Lola arrives from the Philippines, so does summer and with it, the joy of a family reunited with their grandmother. Loose lines and rich color combine with a text to evoke the sights and sounds of a warm summer with a warm family.

A child is embarrassed when parents stop the car to harvest wild watercress. Illustrations in sepia, however, show why this is such an emotional moment for the Chinese American family as it recalls an earlier time. Inspired text and stunningly detailed watercolors provide insight into one family’s history and a glimpse of their life before coming to the United States.

It’s hard for a princesa to leave a beautiful island filled with “glassy, blue waves; spicy hot heat — and sandy, snug hugs” and to go into the belly of a dragon. But with her parents and brothers, Anita becomes a fearless dragon herself, flying to a new life in another country. Soft illustrations combine with a touching narration in this gentle but powerful story of immigrations

In the young narrator’s home, “two worlds become one.” Her family is “a mix of dos cultures…”, one Spanish speaking, the other English. Together the family joyfully prepares to celebrate a birthday. Colorful, child-like illustrations and a straightforward narration present a bicultural family.

Jingwen feels more like he’s on Mars than in Australia when he, his younger brother Yanghao, and their mother relocate from China. English is a breeze for Yanghao but a struggle for Jingwen who hears it as just gibberish. Line and wash illustrations cleverly depict the language confusion as well as the brothers’ plausible relationship. Even with serious issues present (the boys’ father has died; their mother works long hours) this remarkable book is witty, engaging, and entirely credible.