AAPI Month, Sharks, & More!

This picture book biography explores the life of pianist and environmental activist Mahani Teave. As a child, Mahani learned to play piano on Rapa Nui’s only piano, and she loved it. She had to leave her beloved island to learn more about piano and to become a classical musician, but when she returned, she realized the island had a big problem: litter. The island’s beaches were awash with litter. She decided to build a music school by recycling the litter found on Rapa Nui’s beaches. This is a really fantastic and beautifully illustrated picture book.

This rhyming alphabetical picture book takes readers through a whirlwind of Asian American history and culture. From the transcontinental railroad to water festivals and hip-hop, this book covers a wide range of topics. It also mentions many important AAPI figures that would be a great jumping off point for further research, like comedian Jo Koy, children’s book author Grace Lin, violinist Sarah Chang, and astronaut Kalpana Chawla. There’s a glossary in the back with more information.

This is a phenomenal anthology of mini-biographies about a range of important figures in the AAPI community. From painter Etel Adnan to ‘ukulele musician Taimane Gardner and actor and wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the biographies cover many fascinating people. Each biography is accompanied by an illustration, and there’s a reflective guide in the back with questions, further reading, and a glossary.

This innovative and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi is longer than most picture books, and told in three parts. It opens with Isamu being asked to represent America in an exhibit, then what follows is all the ways Isamu has felt separate from his dual identities as a Japanese American, from being put in an American concentration camp during WWII, to simplifying his name to Sam. Art became his protective shell and escape, and he came to call himself a snail.