Books About Asia

Picture Books

Baille, Allan. Rebel.
When the General marches into Burma to take over, one student is brave enough to rebel.

Bannerman, Helen. The Story of Little Babaji.
A little boy in India loses his fine new clothes to the tigers, but while they argue he takes his clothes back.

Bell, Lili. The Sea Maidens of Japan.
A young Japanese girl struggles with her mother's expectations and the unique culture of her village's sea divers.

Keller, Holly. Grandfather's Dream.
After the end of the war in Vietnam, a boy's grandfather dreams of restoring the wetlands of the Mekong Delta, hoping that the large cranes that once lived there will return.

Lee, Jeanne M. Silent Lotus.
In ancient Cambodia, Lotus cannot hear or speak, but dances as gracefully as the wild birds.

Levinson, Riki. Our Home Is the Sea.
A boy hurries home from school to his family's houseboat in Hong Kong harbor, to join his father and grandfather in the family profession, fishing.

Say, Allan. The Bicycle Man.
Two American soldiers do amazing tricks on a borrowed bicycle for the finale of the sports day festivities in occupied Japan.

Sis, Peter. Komodo!
A young boy who loves dragons goes to the Indonesian island of Komodo in search of a real dragon. Includes factual information about the Komodo dragon.

Chapter Books

Choi, Sook Nyul. The Year of Impossible Goodbyes.
A young girl escapes from the oppressive Japanese and Russian occupation of North Korea during the 1940's.

Fritz, Jean. Homesick: My Story.
The author's fictionalized version of her childhood in China in the 1920's. Followed by China Homecoming.

Hautzig, Esther. The Endless Steppe.
During WWII, an eleven year old and her family are exiled to Siberia, where they spend five years on the harsh Asian steppe.

Namioka, Lensey. The Den of the White Fox.
In medieval Japan, two out-of-work samurai join a group, led by the mysterious White Fox, in resistance to a cruel occupying force.

Paterson, Katherine. The Master Puppeteer.
A boy lives with puppeteers in the poverty and discontent of 18th century Osaka.

Tsuchiya, Yukio. Faithful Elephants.
Zookeepers must starve three elephants in a Tokyo zoo because of World War II.

Watkins, Yoko Kawashima. My Brother, My Sister, and I.
Living as refugees in 1947 Japan, Yoko and her older brother and sister must endure fire, injury, and false charges of arson, theft, and murder.

Yep, Laurence. Hiroshima.
Describes the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and particularly how it affects Sachi, who becomes one of the Hiroshima Maidens.

Non-Fiction

Bash, Barbara. In the Heart of the Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree.
Describes the importance of the banyan tree to an Indian village.

Cobb, Vicki. This Place Is Crowded.
Describes education, homes, and other aspects of life in the heavily populated island nation of Japan.

Coerr, Eleanor. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.
Hospitalized with the dreaded atom bomb disease, leukemia, a child in Hiroshima races against time to fold one thousand paper cranes, according to the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy.

Darling, Tara. How to Babysit an Orangutan.
Baby orangutans whose mothers have died are nurtured by human babysitters at Camp Leakey in the rain forests of Borneo, until they are ready to live in the wild.

Dolphin, Laurie. Our Journey from Tibet.
Follows the dangerous journey of three young sisters from their home in occupied Tibet to a new life in India, where they can freely learn about their religion and culture.

Ho, Minfong. Hush! A Thai Lullaby.
A lullaby which asks animals such as a lizard, monkey, and water-buffalo to be quiet and not disturb the sleeping baby.

Huynh, Quang Nhuong. The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam.
The narrator regales and horrifies with descriptions of events in his small Vietnamese village.

McMahon, Patricia. Six Words, Many Turtles, and Three Days in Hong Kong.
Describes the daily activities, school work, and family life of an eight-year-old Chinese girl living in Hong Kong.

Margolies, Barbara. Kanu of Kathmandu: A Journey in Nepal.
An eight-year-old boy who lives in the city of Kathmandu takes a tour of several small towns and villages of Nepal, observing many traditional customs and activities.

Compiled by Sarah S. Wright for MCPL Children's Services (3/99).

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