Paper Tigers May/June Issue

From our friends at the award-winning Paper Tigers site (edited by Aline Pereira) comes an amazing issue for Asian/Pacific Heritage Month:

The celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May reminds us about the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to every arena of life in the United States and throughout the world. The experiences that double the richness of their lives are reflected in many children's books... but do we have enough narratives?... Check the interviews, illustrators' galleries, 'personal views' articles, as well as the book reviews, resources and reading lists sections: there's much to add depth and breath to the question.

Interviews

Newbery award winner Cynthia Kadohata talks about her latest book, Cracker!, drawing inspiration from her heritage, and more...

Rose Kent spices up the world of young adult books with Kimchi & Calamari, a coming-of-age tale about a Korean boy adopted to an American family of Italian descent. Read the interview and find out for yourself why her voice is here to stay...

Personal Views

More Stories About Our American Experience, Please by Ken Mochizuki

The Extra Adjective: How I Came To Terms With Being a Multicultural Author by Grace Lin

In The Illustrators' Gallery

Yoshiko Jaeggi's illustrations (including samples from her first picture book, My Dadima Wears a Sari) display plenty of talent and sensitivity...

Meilo So's illustrations have for many years been drawing out praise from one and all ...

New Resources

Educational non-profit organizations and websites of note: Smithsonian Education (includes links to a special "Heritage Teaching" section), AskAsia, 'We The People' Bookshelf, As Simple As That, Our Voices Together and more...

Book of the Month

American Dragons: Twenty-Five Asian American Voices by Laurence Yep, illustrated by Kam Mak (Harper Teen, 1995)

Book Reviews

Many new reviews by PaperTigers and other trusted sources:

Shaun Tan's graphic powerhouse, The Arrival, Cynthia Kadohata's Cracker! The Best Dog In Vietnam, Janet Wong's Twist: Yoga Poems; plus Kimchi & Calamari, My Dadima Wears a Sari, The Bee Tree, Three Names of Me, A True Person, Celebrate! It's Cinco de Mayo, Sky Sweeper; Nana's Big Surprise (bilingual), We and more...

Plus new reading lists, including: Asian American Booklist, by NEA (National Education Association); China and the Chinese-American Life: Books for Children and Young Adults, by the Cary Memorial Library; South Asian Books for Children, by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium; Bibliography of Asian Pacific Americans on K-12 and Higher Education, by EDEN (Equity Through Distributed Education Network)...

Happy reading, and 'til next time!

The Tiger