Activities Gallery

Heritage and Pride Through Children’s Stories

Stories are simple means to understand and create greater respect for cultural diversity and equal treatment. Asian Americans are often belittled for their names, the languages they speak, the food they eat, or their appearances. The following books can offer an entry point to humanizing Asian American communities and centering their stories as part of the larger American story.

A typical form of bullying that occurs relates to Asian Americans being teased about their names or the languages they speak. 

Always Anjali

tells the story of a young girl, Anjali, who changes her name to Julie after she’s bullied for having a different name by other kids at school. The story follows Anjali in finding pride in her name and standing up to those who seek to belittle her.

The Name Jar

tells the story of a recent immigrant from Korea, Unhei, and her fear about what the other children will call her. A classmate learns the meaning of her name and helps the class pronounce it correctly.

No Kimchi for Me

The Pho Team

normalize Asian American foods and introduce them to readers of any age.

My Family is from Different Places

highlights families with mixed racial heritage and also includes a poignant incident of a girl feeling bad that her friends are not trying a dish her mom has brought to school.

Another form of bullying relates to the foods children bring to school and the resultant shame children may feel about their cultural heritage. Stereotypes about what Asian Americans eat abound

Many Asian Americans report being bullied for the shape of their eyes, and internalized dislike for eye shape can exist in Asian communities, as well.

Ridicule and internally felt shame can also occur with regard to facial hair.

Eyes that Kiss in the Corners

shares a young girl’s pride in the shape of her eyes.

Laxmi’s Mooch

offers a nice counterpoint to facial hair

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