The Soaring ‘20s PB Group supports the talents of Asian American authors and illustrators. We are proud and enriched by the perspectives each of the following individuals bring to our Soaring ‘20s PB group and to our greater kidlit community.
In the wake of increased violence and discrimination against Asian Americans, we encourage you to take action. To show your support of Asian American kidlit authors and illustrators, please make a commitment to elevate their voices by:
Purchasing their books.
Requesting that your local library purchase their books.
Reviewing their books online.
Sharing their books with young readers in your classroom, library, bookstore and home.
We have some incredible suggestions for books you can highlight. Below is a list of the amazing work by Soaring ‘20s Asian American authors and illustrators. You’ll find links to buy their books on our Bookshop.org site.
We’ve also compiled links to recommended book lists, educational resources and donor information, so be sure to read to the end of the post.
Vicky Fang
Layla and the Bots (series) written by Vicky Fang (Scholastic 2020 and 2021), Invent-a-Pet written by Vicky Fang (Sterling 2020), I Can Code (series) written by Vicky Fang (Sourcebooks 2020), and Friendbots written and illustrated by Vicky Fang (HarperAlley 2021)
Liza Ferneyhough
Nana, Nenek, and Nina written and illustrated by Liza Ferneyhough (Dial Books for Young Readers, coming 2022)
Margaret Chiu Greanias
Maximillian Villainous written by Margaret Chiu Greanias (Running Press Kids 2018) and Amah Faraway (Bloomsbury Kids, coming January 2022)
Darshana Khiani
How to Wear a Sari written by Darshana Khiani (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books/Versify 2021)
Isabella Kung
No Fuzzball! written and illustrated by Isabella Kung (Orchard Books 2020), 1 2 3 Cats: A Cat Counting Book and ABC Cats: An Alpha-Cat Book, illustrated by Isabella Kung (Candlewick Press 2021)
Rajani LaRocca
Red, White and Whole written by Rajani LaRocca (Quill Tree Books 2021), Seven Golden Rings written by Rajani LaRocca (Lee & Low Books 2020), Midsummer’s Mayhem written by Rajani LaRooca (Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books 2019), Much Ado About Baseball, written by Rajani LaRocca (Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books, summer 2021), Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers, written by Rajani LaRocca (Charlesbridge, spring 2021), Where Three Oceans Meet, written by Rajani LaRocca (Abrams, fall 2021), My Little Golden Book About Kamala Harris, written by Rajani LaRocca (Golden Books, fall 2021), The Secret Code Inside of You, written by Rajani LaRocca (Little Bee Books, fall 2021)
Hope Lim
I Am A Bird written by Hope Lim (Candlewick 2021) and My Tree written by Hope Lim (Neal Porter Books 2021)
Christina Soontornvat
The Ramble Shamble Children written by Christina Soontornvat (Nancy Paulsen Books 2021), Simon at the Art Museum written by Christina Soontornvat (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster 2020), A Wish in the Dark written by Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick 2020), All Thirteen written by Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick 2020), The Blunders written by Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick 2020), Diary of an Ice Princess (series) written by Christina Soontornvat (Scholastic 2019 and 2020), The Changelings (series) written by Christina Soontornvat (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky 2016 and 2017)
Saira Mir
Muslim Girls Rise: Inspirational Champions of Our Time written by Saira Mir (Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 2019)
M.O. Yuksel
In My Mosque written by M. O. Yuksel (Harper Collins 2021)
Qing Zhuang
How Long Is Forever? illustrated by Qing Zhuang (Charlesbridge 2020)
We also invite you to explore the resources below.
Book Lists
Twitter thread with book recommendations (Stephanie Lucianovic)
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Award-Winning Books
Talk Story Asian Pacific American Book List
South Asian Kidlit Round-Up Book Lists by Darshana Khiani
Educational Resources
PBS Daily News Lesson: “Asian Americans face a wave of discrimination during the pandemic”
“After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History,” Learning For Justice
“On Beauty, White Supremacy, and Revolution,” by educator and author Joanna Ho for We Need Diverse Books
“Ignoring the History of White Supremacy Is Another Form of Violence,” by Connie Wu for Elle
“How parents can support kids through (and beyond) the latest wave of anti-Asian American violence,” by Christine Koh for CNN
“Safety Tips For Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate,” stopAAPIhate.org
Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment
Organizations/Donation Information
(many thanks to Monica on Twitter for most of these)
AAPI Women Lead: imreadymovement.org
Asian Prisoner Support Committee: asianprisonersupport.com
Asian Pacific Environmental Network: apen4ej.org
Filipino Community Center: filipinocc.org
Chinese Progressive Association: cpasf.org
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Law Caucus: advancingjustice-alc.org
Asian American Feminist Collective: Asianamfeminism.org
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon: Apano.org
South Asian Americans Leading Together: Saalt.org
Various funds to support victims’ families: gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate…
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Atlanta chapter: napawf.org
Asian Health Services: Asianhealthservices.org
Restore New York City: Restorenyc.org
Asians for Mental Health linktr.ee
Political Inheritance’s Anti Asian Hate Resource Lists and Support
Asian American Resource Center: Aarcatl.org
Asian Mental Health Collective: Asianmhc.org