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BookDragon Biography

Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler

13 May, by SIBookDragon in African, Biography, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction

For those of us of a certain age, we remember well that shampoo commercial ...

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose

08 Mar, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Winner of the 2009 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Philip Hoose's inspiring title brings much-needed focus on a brave 15-year-old girl who decided, "You just have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.'" In March 1955, nine months before Rosa...

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy

25 Feb, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction

The girl power companion to Akira to Zoltán: Twenty-Six Men Who Changed the World celebrates the accomplishments of 26 admirable, brave, cheeky women from all over the world who refused to ever take 'no' for an answer and made their own herstory along the way! Just...

KING: A Comics Biography | The Special Edition by Ho Che Anderson

12 Feb, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Biography, Black/African American, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

I thought I should mark Lincoln's birthday today with Ho Che Anderson's epic graphic biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave his legendary "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Eighteen years in the making,...

How We Are Smart by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Sean Qualls

24 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Japanese American, Latina/o/x, Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples, Poetry

Using research originally developed by Harvard psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner about multiple intelligences which was made popular by Dr. Thomas Armstrong, author Nikola-Lisa chooses 12 achievers to show how they were each 'smart' in different, important ways. "Here are eight basic ways people can be...

Animals Marco Polo Saw: An Adventure on the Silk Road by Sandra Markle, illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini

29 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Chinese, European, Middle Grade Readers, Mongolian, Nonfiction

Marco Polo sure got around in his time, way back in the 13th century! And what a great way to show our instant-access, Web-addicted kids just how incredible the Polo family's adventures were – for any generation! The latest in Chronicle Books' (that great indie San...

In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by JaeMe Bereal

16 Sep, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books

Thank goodness young Augusta Savage had a supportive mother to balance out her discouraging father who crushed her youthful sculpture beneath his feet to prevent her from wasting time. "You ought to be reading the Bible instead," her preacher father insisted, "cultivating your mind, saving...

My Name is Phillis Wheatley: A Story of Slavery and Freedom by Afua Cooper

02 Sep, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

At just age 19, in the year 1773, the American slave Phillis Wheatley made her literary debut to a welcoming London audience waiting to hear from her upcoming poetry collection. Born free in Senegal, the young poet – originally named Penda Wane – was captured...

My Name is Henry Bibb: A Story of Slavery and Freedom by Afua Cooper

02 Sep, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Young Adult Readers

A fictionalized biography of a heroic young man born into slavery in 1814 and determined against all odds to be free. With the history of slaveowners abusing their women slaves reflected in his pale face, Henry Bibb could pass for white. Raised together with the...

The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale

31 Jul, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Hapa/Mixed-race, Japanese American, Nonfiction

Born in Los Angeles to a Scotch-Irish American mother, Leonie Gilmour, and a missing Japanese father, the young boy who would grow up to be Isamu Noguchi moved as toddler to Japan to join his estranged father. When Gilmour realized that the older Noguchi already had...

I and I: Bob Marley by Tony Medina, illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson

05 Jun, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Black/African American, Caribbean American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction, Poetry

A gorgeously rendered collection of poems that capture the colorful life of Nesta Robert Marley, born in 1945 to a young island girl just 18 and a 63-year-old British white man in a small town in Jamaica. Although his father quickly abandoned the young family,...

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Lin Wang

01 Jun, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Korean American, Nonfiction

A fabulous biography for the youngest readers about the first-ever bonafide Asian American superstar. And what a figure she was ...

Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the ‘King and I’ Governess by Susan Morgan [in Christian Science Monitor]

16 Sep, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Awful Duds, Biography, British, Hapa/Mixed-race, Indian, Nonfiction, Repost, South Asian, Thai

bombay-anna Immortalized by Deborah Kerr, Anna Leonowens – yes, that Anna, the one who taught the children of the King of Siam – was, without a doubt, a remarkable character. Unfortunately, her story remains buried in...

A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Shino Arihara [in Bloomsbury Review]

01 May, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Cambodian, Cambodian American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction, Repost, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American

song-for-cambodiaArn Chorn-Pond was just 8 years old when he was torn from his family in 1975 as the Khmer Rouge invaded Cambodia. He survives years of unimaginable atrocities with only rare moments of music to soothe...

Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe, illustrated by Richard Waldrep [in Bloomsbury Review]

01 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Hawaiian, Nonfiction, Repost

surfer-of-the-centuryAn inspiring, poignant biography – just perfect for kids! – of the legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku, who was also the fastest swimmer in the world for 16 years! In spite of his championships, Kahanamoku still faced...

Akira to Zoltán: Twenty-Six Men Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy [in Bloomsbury Review]

01 May, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Repost

akira-to-zoltan1This welcome companion title to Chin-Lee’s Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World (2005) features child-size portions of world-changing, peace-toting, life-affirming men from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa to U.S. Senator Hiram Fong...

Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom by Daisuke Miyao [in Bloomsbury Review]

01 May, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Biography, Japanese American, Nonfiction, Repost

sessue-hayakawa1The long-awaited biography – even if it’s a tad bit on the academic side – on Hayakawa, a trailblazing Asian American film pioneer, who in his silent heyday was one of the most recognizable, lauded actors,...

Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne: The Tragic True Story of Japan’s Crown Princess by Ben Hills [in San Francisco Chronicle]

30 Jan, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Awful Duds, Biography, Japanese, Repost

princess-masako1What's wrong with this picture?: An independent, cosmopolitan young woman, educated at Harvard and Oxford, proficient in six languages, who is on the fast track to becoming a diplomat in spite of a male-dominated society, gives...

Tiger of the Snows: Tenzing Norgay: The Boy Whose Dream Was Everest by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Ed Young [in Bloomsbury Review]

01 May, by SIBookDragon in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Nepali, Nonfiction, Repost

tiger-of-the-snowsEd Young’s superb illustrations bring to life the journey of legendary Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who, together with Edmund Hillary, became the first climbers to reach the top of Mt. Everest in 1953. While...

MAO: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday [in AsianWeek]

03 Nov, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Biography, British Asian, Chinese, Nonfiction, Repost

Mao ChangFrom the bestselling author of Wild Swans (together with a well-known academic), comes an unflinching look at one of the most powerful, influential figures of the 20th-century, not to mention one of the most...

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Smithsonian Institution
Asian Pacific American Center

Capital Gallery, Suite 7065
600 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20024

202.633.2691 | APAC@si.edu

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Suite 7065, MRC: 516
P.O. Box 37012
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SmithsonianAPA brings Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture to you through innovative museum experiences and digital initiatives.

About BookDragon

Welcome to BookDragon, filled with titles for the diverse reader. BookDragon is a new media initiative of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), and serves as a forum for those interested in learning more about the Asian Pacific American experience through literature. BookDragon is inhabited by Terry Hong.

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Please email us at SIBookDragon@gmail.com

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