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Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with BadgerLink

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the culture, traditions and history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. These BadgerLink resources highlight AAPI Heritage for librarians, educators, students, and library users in May and all year long. 

Britannica

Join Britannica Education in celebrating the rich heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) this May! With roots spanning over 20 distinct Asian countries, this dynamic and diverse community boasts a wide range of cultures, languages, and religions. To help you get started, here’s a list of AAPI Heritage Month resources for K-12 classrooms that center around the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across U.S. history.

EBSCO

For libraries looking to add new books by and about Asian Pacific Americans to their shelves, Core Collections has great recommendations. Here are just a few:

Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis; illustrated by Kenard Pak
In this cumulative rhyme in the style of "The House That Jack Built," a family celebrates Hawaii and its culture while serving poi at a luau.

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Telling fibs to fit in better with her wealthier peers, 12-year-old Aru Shah spends her school break at the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, where her decision to light a cursed lamp unwittingly releases an ancient demon.

Mooncakes + Milk Bread by Kristina Cho
A popular food blogger, focusing exclusively on Chinese bakeries and cafes, presents simple, easy-to-make interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker, including sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, juicy dumplings and more.

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
An award-winning poet/essayist offers a ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged exploration of the psychological condition of being Asian American.

EBSCO’s school databases also offer content to support teaching and learning about AAPI writers and poets. Literary Reference Center Plus includes biographies, plot summaries and literary criticism to support students researching the works of Amy Tan, Haruki Murakami, Gene Luen Yang, Jhumpa Lahiri and many more.

Meanwhile, Poetry & Short Story Reference Center contains Poetry Showcases by The Paris Review for Monica Youn, Tishani Doshi, Wendy Xu, Tan Lin and Vijay Seshadri. Each showcase includes a biography, three poems for discussion, and an interview with the poet.

TeachingBooks

Browse this Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Book List and explore the recipients of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, which honors books that portray Asian and Pacific Americans and their heritage, for titles and resources to incorporate into your literacy work all year long! Explore our Asian American and Pacific Islander cultural experience collections for more!

Also check out the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Teaching Ideas to find connections for younger and older readers including video readings, storytime kits, guides, book trailers, and Meet-the-Author recordings.