By Stephanie E. Mahar, Washington State University

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month occurs every May. The U.S. Congress officially acknowledged the history and contributions of Asian American communities in the United States in 1977. Representative Frank Horton of New York and Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii spearheaded the commemoration to be observed for the first ten days of May. The celebration was initially marked for one week but was later extended to a full month-long tribute, starting in May 1990. May also commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843. Additionally, May marks the transcontinental railroad’s completion on May 10, 1869, which Chinese immigrants primarily built. This WOW dozen contains an assortment of 12 picturebooks and middle grade books to honor and celebrate the cultures of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people.

References
AANHPI Resource Center. Federal Asian Pacific American Council. (n.d.). https://fapac.org/AAPI-Resources

WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen. Use the printer icon in the upper left corner of this post to print or save this list as a PDF.​

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• Themes: Aisha Saeed, Charina Marquez, Dacning Hands A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Langauge, Door is Open: Stories of Celebration and Community by 11 Desi Voices, Drem Chen, Everyone Loves Lunchtime But Zia, Fran Alvarez, Hanna Usman, Hena Khan, I'm From Here Too, Isabel in Bloom, Jala and the Lake, Jenny Liao, Jess X. Snow, Joanna Que, Karen Llagas, Kashmira Sheth, Lei and the Invisibl Island, Liza Ferneryhough, Love in the Library, Mae Respicio, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Malia Maunakea, Marianne J. Palita, Matthew Kāwika Ortiz, Maulik Pancholy, Mitali Perkins, Mohala Mai 'o Hau/How Hau became Hau'ula, Naheed Hasnat, Nana Nenek and Nina, Nivani Chhabria, Ocen Calls, Raag's Song, Rajani LaRocca, Reem Faruqi, Robery Lono ‘Ikuwā, Sayantani DasGupta, Simran Jeet Singh, Stephanie E. Mahar, Supriya Kelkar, Tina Cho, Veera Hiranandani, Yas Imamura
• Descriptors: WOW Dozen