Ongoing List of
Asian / Middle Eastern
History Books
Please Note
- Ethnicity/Race/Nationality can be complex topics, especially for those with multi-ethnic backgrounds. In being culturally sensitive without having countless tables, I've categorized the books into 4 main categories, as can be seen below. (Books with asterisks are in multiple categories)
- Every family has different beliefs and values. Please make sure to preview titles to ensure they fit your family standards.
- Many of the books shared here are titles I'd either like to or have used for my own daughter, books that come highly recommended or books I think would be worth sharing. Therefore, I have not read every book. As mentioned above, please preview titles.
- Some books may use politically incorrect words. Use your own judgment to substitute them with more culturally sensitive terms or leave them as is if they convey the feel and message of the times to your student. (i.e. Indian vs Native American)
- The recommended ages are just that: recommended. You know your child best and whether or not a book may be appropriate for them.
- Picture books are often thought to be just for younger children. However, I can't tell you how many times the powerful words accompanied with beautiful imagery have moved me to tears or lead to rich discussion with my student. Please don't miss these opportunities just because it's labeled a "picture book".
The table below is interactive so you can filter
or sort by any category.
Asian / Middle Eastern History Books
| Amazon LINK | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
  | Tea with Milk | Allen Say |
  | Music for Alice | Allen Say |
  | Grandfather's Journey | Allen Say |
  | El Chino | Allen Say |
  | The Bicycle Man | Allen Say |
  | Home of the Brave | Allen Say |
  | Drawing from Memory | Allen Say |
  | Kamishibai Man | Allen Say |
  | The Inker's Shadow | Allen Say |
  | When My Name was Keoko | Linda Sue Park |
  | The Firekeeper's Son | Linda Sue Park |
  | A Single Shard | Linda Sue Park |
  | Seesaw Girl | Linda Sue Park |
  | The Kite Fighters | Linda Sue Park |
  | Prairie Lotus | Linda Sue Park |
  | *In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson | Bette Bao Lord |
  | Inside Out and Back Again | Thanhha Lai |
  | These Are My People: A Biography of Gladys Aylward | Mildred T. Howard |
  | The Breadwinner | Deborah Ellis |
  | Gandhi | Demi |
  | I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban | Malala Yousafzai |
  | Malala's Magic Pencil | Malala Yousafzai |
  | I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) | Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick |
  | For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai's Story | Rebecca Ann Langston-George |
  | Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us | Analiza Quiroz Wolf |
  | Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines | Jeanne Walker Harvey |
  | All About Korea: Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids | Ann Martin Bowler |
  | Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes | Eleanor Coerr |
  | Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution | Ji-li Jiang |
  | The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations | Aisholpan Nurgaiv ( |
  | A Path of Stars | Anne Sibley O'Brien |
  | The Lotus Seed | Sherry Garland |
  | Coolies | Yin |
  | The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story | Sandra Moore |
  | Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind | Cynthia Grady |
  | The Great Voyages of Zheng He | Demi |
  | Farewell to Manzanar | Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston |
  | Who Belongs Here?: An American Story | Margy Burns Knight |
  | Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin | Michelle Lord |
  | Half Spoon of Rice: A Survival Story of the Cambodian Genocide | Icy Smith |
  | A Song For Cambodia | Michelle Lord |
  | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window | Tetsuko Kuroyanagi |
  | Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music | Margarita Engle |
  | Brother's Keeper | Julie Lee |
  | A Place to Belong | Cynthia Kadohata |
  | Weedflower | Cynthia Kadohata |
  | The Legend of Mu Lan: A Heroine of Ancient China | Wei Chiang |
  | Ahimsa | Supriya Kelkar |
  | Baseball Saved Us | Ken Mochizuki |
 | Storybook of China's History | Rachel Bubb |
 | Zhuge Liang: The Clever General | Rachel Bubb |