Remembering Grandpa by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Layne Johnson [in Bloomsbury Review]
01 May, by in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Indian American, Nonethnic-specific, Repost
To cure his grandmother’s “bad case of sadness” one year after his grandfather’s death, young Daysha collects special treasures that bring back the loving experiences and memories of his much-missed grandfather. When he shares the treasures...
Written for an older audience of grade-school children, the recent sequel to Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (February 2006) continues the inspiring story through fabulous photographs that follow the remarkable relationship...
One too many uses of what my kids call ‘the s-word” – as in ‘stupid’ – somewhat mars an otherwise entertaining tongue-in-cheek version of an age-old tale, this time narrated by a Chinese fisherman and his...
This welcome companion title to Chin-Lee’s 
A beautifully illustrated, lullaby-like retelling of baby hippo Owen, who lost his entire family pod in the great tsunami of December 2004, and chose a 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee, meaning “old man” in Swahili, to...
The final installment of a highly entertaining trilogy set in the same town, over the same three months, about the same three characters – each with three different perspectives about ‘how I spent my summer vacation.’...
A sweet story about a young Bangladeshi girl who’s determined to help her impoverished family. While her incredible spunk and spirit initially gets her in trouble, her tenacity and talent find a way to help her...
With her Republican front-runner father, Sameera “Sparrow” Righton just might be headed to the White House. That is, if her father’s PR spinners can make her more ‘all-American,’ given her Pakistani heritage as the beloved adopted...
Although based in part on the real-life experiences of Virginia Loh’s childhood in Northern Virginia, something about Dragon just doesn’t ring true. The premise seems unique and most definitely worthwhile – I can’t remember another middle-grade...
American teenager Sarah would much rather be hanging out with her friends back home in an air-conditioned mall than being stuck with her family vacationing in faraway Indonesia. When the massive tsunami of 2004 hits the...
Another precocious debut – this one by a Princeton freshman who began the novel at 15 and won the PUSH Novel Contest at 17. Big Man on Campus-Caesar (real name John, but called Caesar because all...
The multi-millennia-old South Asian discipline gets a hip new twist for a teenage audience, complete with inviting step-by-step drawings of how-tos and must-dos. Makes the perfect no-occasion gift, too.
Review: "In Celebration of Asian Pacific American...
A harrowing story about Nadira, a Pakistani teenager who is considered damaged goods, having paid for a crime that her older brother never committed, leaving her with a scarred face and abused young body. When her...
Interweaving his own multigenerational family history, Thant thoughtfully presents the troubled story of his homeland from ancient times to its colonized modern legacy. Thant’s grandfather, U Thant, figures prominently in the title, once a small town...
Using food as an engaging trope to tell her poignant story – from Pringles to Big Macs to Bubble Yum and Little Debbies – Nguyen takes the reader on a vicarious munching session, recounting her experiences...
The renowned cooking guru and award-winning actress presents an inviting memoir – complete with family recipes, of course! – about growing up in the sprawling family compound in Delhi, surrounded by extended family members, literally climbing...
A collection of 13 illuminating essays about the so-called “Urban Generation” of young filmmakers who came of age in post-Tiananmen Square China, creating an alternative, independent cinema eschewing the demands of the still-powerful state-owned studios. Zhang...
“This book is a corrective action,” insist the three adoptee editors of this recent collection of essays and memoirs about growing up as a transracial adoptee. “Over the past fifty years, white adoptive parents, academics, psychiatrists,...
The 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,...