Pflugerville librarian: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated every May and recognizes the contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to our country that have enriched its culture, history and success. This AAPI Heritage Month, we’d like to recommend some titles by Asian authors for readers of all ages. All the highlighted books are available at the library.

Children will enjoy the picture book, "A Big Mooncake for Little Star" by Grace Lin, which follows a young girl who bakes with her mother and can't resist a nibble of the sweet treat they’re making. "A Different Pond" by Bao Phi is a beautiful story about a father-son fishing trip, where a boy named Bao learns about a pond in their homeland of Vietnam. In "The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh" by Supriya Kelkar, little Harpreet has a different color for every mood and occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red for courage.

One of our favorite chapter books is "Dragon Pearl" by Yoon Ha Lee, a space opera about 13-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. Those looking to start a new series should try "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi, an adventurous tale about a girl who spends her autumn break at home, waiting for her mother to return from her latest archeological trip. While at the museum where her mother works, Aru unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon. The graphic novel "The Legend of Auntie Po" by Shing Yin Khor is an excellent choice for those who love history and folk tales. In it, young Mei works in a Sierra Nevada logging camp in the years after the Chinese Exclusion Act. While she works, she reimagines the myths of Paul Bunyan, with Paul reinvented as Po Pan Yin (Auntie Po), an elderly Chinese matriarch.

We also have plenty of titles for young adults, including "The Ivory Key" by Akshaya Raman, a tale of magic, royalty and intrigue. "Sunny G's series of Rash Decisions" by Navdeep Singh Dhillon is a wonderful prom night romantic-comedy about a Sikh teen's search for love and identity. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy "The Downstairs Girl" by Stacey Lee, which follows 17-year-old Jo Kuan, who works as a lady’s maid by day and moonlights as the author of a newspaper advice column. The fantasy "Six Crimson Cranes" by Elizabeth Lim features a banished young princess who goes on a quest to free her brothers from a curse. This book weaves together several stories, including "The Wild Swans," "Cinderella," the legend of Chang E, and the "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter."

Adults looking for a memoir should try "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner, founder of the band Japanese Breakfast. It chronicles the author’s relationship with her Korean mother and how she attempts to deal with her grief after her mother’s death by learning to cook the dishes her mother prepared for her. Another culinary-themed memoir to try is "Eat a Peach" by David Chang, owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar in Manhattan's East Village. David chronicles the improbable series of events that led him to success as a chef and explores his trials with mental illness. Mystery lovers should try "Arsenic and Adobo" by Mia P. Manansala, a fun story about a chef and her relatives, who run a restaurant where they serve delicious Filipino dishes and solve crimes on the side. Go back in time to the 1980s with Quan Barry’s "We Ride Upon Sticks," a paranormal tale about a high school field hockey team that discovers that their winning season may have been influenced by the witchcraft of their Salem forebears. Stop by our new Adult Manga section to pick up "Made in Korea — Volume 1" by Jeremy Holt, a sci-fi story in which a couple adopts a child created using artificial intelligence.

In addition to reading these amazing books, you can visit the AAPI Heritage Month book displays to pick up more titles throughout the month of May at the library. We are also hosting the poster exhibition "I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story." The exhibition is provided courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution and supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The posters offer a sweeping look at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in American history, from the 1860s to the present day. It highlights the very first Asian U.S. immigrants, AAPI war veterans, the Asian Americans who fought for fair labor practices and civil rights, and the many contributions of Asian Americans to our national culture. The posters also detail the history of exclusion and discrimination that Asians in America have faced.

The library also has materials available in our world languages collections. Books, music and movies are available in Vietnamese for guests of all ages. Our children’s book collection has recent additions of books in Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese languages, and we will continue to expand our selection of books in this area.

We’d be happy to help you find more titles to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month. E-mail us at library@pflugervilletx.gov or check out our Book Recommendations section at library.pflugervilletx.gov to get customized suggestions for readers of all ages.

Bette McDowell is a senior librarian at the Pflugerville Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Pflugerville librarian: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month