17 Wonderful Picture Books Related to Taiwan

Please welcome my guest author today, Margaret Chiu Greanias, with a sequel to her list of picture books about Taiwanese characters or by Taiwanese American authors and author-illustrators with 12 wonderful picture books related to Taiwan. Her original list of picture books related to Taiwan is here.

We are giving away a copy of How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

What are your favorite picture books about Taiwan or featuring a Taiwanese or Taiwanese-American picture book creator? Thanks for sharing!

p.s. More Asian picture book lists here:

A Huge List of Asian Pacific American Children’s Books

Asian Joy in Picture Books

Picture Books Featuring Chinese Words

Asian Immigrant Family Children’s Books

40+ Lists of Asian American Books for Kids

p.p.s. I found three more:

Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl by Erica Lee Schlaikjer, illustrated by Cinyee Chiu

These wild vegetables are more than plants, more than food. They have their own kawas, their own spirit, just like us, the Amis people, the original people of Taiwan.

In Taiwan, a young girl and her mother have a small garden outside the city to grow food. She learns about the wild plants with medicinal value when she pulls them, thinking that they are weeds. “The Amis [are] one of sixteen officially recognized indigenous tribes of Taiwan, although historically there were many more.”[bilingual Mandarin picture book, ages 5 and up]

Becoming Boba by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Amber Ren

This is a playful spin on the origins of boba tea and how it has morphed into all kinds of different and delicious drinks. In Milk Tea Town, nothing has changed. The classic milk tea flavors stay the same. That is, until Mindy and her friends come along and shake things up because being true to yourself is more important than tradition! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Kai and the Dancing Butterfly by Crystal Z. Lee, illustrated by Allie Su

Review by Field Library Book Reviews:

“This book will be a welcome addition to rather sparse children’s books about Taiwan, particularly for the K-2 age group. I can easily see a child newly moved to our school from Taiwan finding a lot of comfort in this book, and teachers will appreciate a title that lends itself well to a classroom read-aloud since it has a narrative through-line instead of just a collection of facts.” [picture book, ages 4 and up]

and here’s a middle grade series…

The Not-So-Simple Question (A Holly-Mei Book) by Christina Matula

Holly Mei and her family are expats living in Hong Kong, where she attends an elite private school. The kids are nice, but their fancy lifestyles can be intimidating. This year’s school trip will be to Taiwan, where Holly Mei’s grandmother grew up. Will sharing her family’s history help her fit in? I really love this sweet, coming-of-age series. Think Crazy Rich Asians, but middle school! [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

15 Wonderful Picture Books Related to Taiwan

Chloe’s Lunar New Year by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Michelle Lee

It’s Lunar New Year which means family reunion time. Chloe and her family make preparations for the new year which include good luck rituals and a reunion dinner made up of the family members’ favorite dishes. The inclusion of apple pie for dessert makes this a distinctly Asian American celebration. Chloe’s Ama is mentioned throughout the story leading to an especially poignant ending. A sweet story of an Asian American Lunar New Year. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang

Liddy is so excited to go to Dim Sum Palace in the morning that she has trouble falling asleep. Smelling something delicious, she follows the scent and finds herself at the Dim Sum Palace, a gigantic palace where two giant chefs are busy making dim sum. The adventure begins when Liddy falls into a bowl of dumpling filling and is made into a dumpling in this highly imaginative, gorgeously illustrated tale perfect for anyone in the mood for a fantastical story with a touch of humor. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Melissa Iwai

Set in a panda world, a red panda realizes there are no red pandas in any books–only giant pandas. So she decides to write her own. But everything in her world is centered on giant pandas. Supported by her giant panda best friend, she must find the courage to tell her story in this gently humorous introduction to why seeing positive representations of yourself in the world is so important for children and how to be a supportive friend to someone who is struggling. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen, illustrated by Lenny Wen

Hana, an Asian American girl, shares how her family says I love you through actions rather than words. Written by Nicole Chen to show how she knew she was loved as a child even though her family expressed their love through their actions rather than words. Beautiful and bright illustrations and a hidden heart on each page will have young readers begging for repeat reads. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Let’s Do Everything and Nothing by Julia Kuo

In Julia Kuo’s author-illustrator debut, a girl and her mother experience moments both adventurous and cozy, the happiest part being that they are together–highlighting the intimate relationship between mother and child. Many details like shrimp chips, the pouring of tea, a rice cooker, and a plate of cut fruit will be recognized by Taiwanese readers alike. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Luminous by Julia Kuo

Readers will want to read this picture book at least twice–once for the poem that explores bioluminescence and once for the factual asides about the animals that naturally produce their own light. Gorgeous illustrations showing bioluminescence at night and fascinating facts make this picture book one readers will want to study again and again. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Night Market Rescue by Charlotte Cheng, illustrated by Amber Ren

Go Go is alone when he follows his nose to the night market. Amid the bustling crowd, he explores the tastes and smells of the market when he comes upon a child, also alone. Together they explore until she is reunited with her family and a surprise awaits Go Go too. Amber Ren’s illustrations, together with Charlotte Cheng’s visually descriptive words transport readers to the night market of Taipei and readers will find themselves longing to experience the night markets’ scents and sounds for themselves. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

One Day by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Faith Pray

Written for her baby son, One Day is an aspirational, beautifully lyrical book about Joanna Ho’s hopes and dreams for her son. The gorgeous metaphors are matched by equally gorgeous illustrations that depict mother and child as he grows up, experiences a variety of situations, and becomes a force in the world. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Say My Name by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Khoa Le

In true Joanna Ho style, Say My Name is a lyrical treasure filled with powerful metaphors that celebrate the story and history in the names of six children from diverse backgrounds and conveys the how correct pronunciation of names both honors and respects the child and their cultural heritage. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Sorry, Snail by Tracy Subisak

After Ari takes her anger out on a snail minding her own business, the snail tracks her down and requests an apology. But Ari’s only half-hearted apology leads to an over-the-top escalation involving the whole snail community in this hilarious and wacky exploration of what it means to issue a heartfelt apology. Taiwanese American Tracy Subisak’s choice of neon color accents adds to the freshness of this funny, universally accessible story. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Ten Little Dumplings by Larissa Fan, illustrated by Cindy Wume

A family with one son is considered lucky, but ten sons is something special. In Ten Little Dumplings, ten sons from a single family do everything together, revered by the village. They bring prosperity and success wherever they go. Only later in the story through a sly shift in perspective do readers realize a hidden sibling in the story. Children will want to go back to the beginning of the book with their newfound knowledge and comb through the illustrations to spot the surprise sibling. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

This Is Not My Home by Eugenia Yoh and Vivienne Chang

When Lily’s mama announces they are moving to Taiwan, Lily recounts all the things she will miss. Once living in Taiwan, Lily continuously declares, “This is not my home.” She compares everything to the things she misses at home. Humorous and fun illustrations lighten the subject, and the story ends on a heartwarming note. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

How This Book Got Red picture book GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away a copy of How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Margaret Greanias is a children’s book author who writes books to delight children, including MAXIMILLIAN VILLAINOUS (Running Press Kids, 2018), AMAH FARAWAY (Bloomsbury Kids, 2022), HOOKED ON BOOKS (Peachtree Publishing, 2023), and HOW THIS BOOK GOT RED (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023). The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three children, and a fluffle of dust bunnies. Find her online at margaretgreanias.com, and on Twitter and Instagram.

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