May is AAPI Heritage Month. TeachingBooks can help you celebrate, learn about, and honor AAPI heritage anytime!

Use TeachingBooks to find titles and resources that highlight the AAPI experience or were created by AAPI authors or illustrators:

• Explore recipients of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

• Find inspiration in these curated lists:

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Characters and Social/Cultural Themes
  • Books on South Asian History and Culture
  • Between Two Worlds: Asian Pacific American Heritage
  • Tales of Courage: Asian Pacific American Heritage
  • Across Cultures: Asian Pacific American Heritage (YA and Middle Grades)
  • History and Historical Fiction: Asian Pacific American Heritage (Grades 7-12)

• Browse our Asian American and Pacific Islander cultural experience collections for more!

Activities

• See and hear from all the illustrators who contributed to Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country in this inspiring video reading. Then, use the research guide, discussion guide, and these activities to extend learning in meaningful ways.

• Meet Yasmin and her family in this series video book trailer for the Yasmin series, then make Lassi drinks, design bookmarks, and try Makerspace tasks found in this series activity kit.

• Learn about making ramen with this complete video reading of Ramen for Everyone. Then, students can cut out ingredients on this activity sheet to make their own ramen, or view this cooking video to learn how to make ramen eggs.

• Find out about the first person of color to play in the NBA, Japanese American Wataru Misaka by listening to this Meet-the-Author Recording about Wat Takes His Shot. Have students research other pioneering Asian Americans who were “first” in a field that interests them, such as sports, music, acting, medicine, etc.

• Research Asian Americans who have made an impact on American culture after listening to the audio excerpt for We Are Golden: 27 Groundbreakers Who Changed the World. Have students write a page or create posters that highlight the person and share with the class.

• Guide students through the Virtual Book Tour with Betty C. Tang for Parachute Kids. Listen to the Meet-the-Author Recording, then try out her Invitation to Imagine activity.

• Create paper leis with this craft activity, and learn about Hawaiian language and culture with this bilingual complete video reading for 'Ohana Means Family, narrated in Hawaiian and English by Kalei'okalani Matsui.

• Watch the complete video reading of Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao, then print recipe, drawing and coloring activities, and even learn How to Make Perfect Bao together. Ask students what is something they like to make or would like to learn how to make?

• Listen to a few of these name pronunciations as introductions to a discussion about names. Ask students questions like: Where did their name come from? Does it have a meaning? Are they named after anyone? What is the story of their name?
  • Waka T Brown
  • Minh Lê
  • Christina Soontornvat
  • Yangsook Choi
  • Sandhya Menon
  • Thanhhà Lại

• Make paper marigold garlands and learn about many of the sights and sounds of Priya’s Indian cultural heritage in this complete video reading of Priya Dreams of Marigolds and Masala.

• Invite students to become writers of their own story with 13 objects, meals, books, or people as the anchors using the writing activity template in these classroom activities for Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites. Print the coloring pages under Book Guides, Activities & Lessons for students to enjoy.

Find many more resources and activity ideas in our 2023 Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month post.