WITS is angered and saddened by the murders of Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Park, Hyun Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue on Tuesday in Atlanta. WITS condemns all crimes fueled by white supremacy. We stand in support of our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and neighbors. We believe in and strive to be leaders for a more inclusive and empathetic world in the work we do.
We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to learn about, actively engage in, and build a world that dismantles systemic white supremacy and violent racism against all people of color. We believe that reading and sharing knowledge is at the foundation of building a more just, equitable, inclusive, and empathetic world.
As you show your support for our AAPI community we ask that you take the time to know more about our AAPI neighbors and friends by exploring these texts and following these individuals.
We encourage our students to read diverse books all year long. In keeping with our commitment to elevating BIPOC voices, we also encourage you to read the blog post “Don’t Yuck My Yum: Delicious Kids Books that Dismantle Anti-Asian Racism” in its entirety. At the end you’ll find many excellent picture book recommendations.
We have a few recommendations of books featuring AAPI heritage, many of which are favorites of WITS students. We hope you and the young people in your lives enjoy them, too.
Picture Books
Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim
I Am Brown by Ashok Banker
Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore
Drawn Together by Minh Le
Chapter Books and Graphic Novels
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Jenny Han
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson
