Asian American books for kids including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, South Asian and more.
In Japan, the crane (tsuru) is a symbol of peace, good fortune, and longevity. It is a bird of happiness and spreads good luck. It is believed that folding 1,000 paper cranes (senbazuru) will help to bring about hope, healing, and peace. These children’s books featuring origami cranes also send a message of hope and…
In Conversation: Mia Wenjen and Jolene Gutiérrez Mar 31, 2026 Mia Wenjen and Jolene Gutiérrez both grapple with the cruelty of internment and family separation in their new picture books Barbed Wire Between Us and Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp, respectively. The two authors spoke about depicting difficult subject matter for young readers,…
I am so happy to announce that We Sing From the Heart is a Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27. The purpose of the Mountain Laurel Book Award Program is to promote reading of quality books by young people in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to encourage teacher/librarian collaboration in young adult and children’s literature,…
Thank you to the National Council for the Social Studies and the Children’s Book Council for selecting Fortune Cookies for Everyone! as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People! Fortune Cookies for Everyone! (Smithsonian): The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage,…
I’m thrilled to celebrate the book birthday of Barbed Wire Between Us today! It’s the story of my heart. I wanted to tell the story of a Japanese grandmother standing outside the Kids in Cages ever since I saw haunting images in the media during Trump’s first administration. My early attempts were dark and definitely…
Thank you to children’s book expert Dr. Susannah Richards for featuring Barbed Wire Between Us as a Conversation Starter in the Publisher Spotlight series, Books to Ignite & Delight Young Readers. Discover 20+ books sure to ignite and delight young people in this 45-minute webinar with acclaimed children’s book expert Dr. Susannah Richards. Learn strategies…
I am thrilled that Betsy Bird reviewed Red Comet Press’s entire Spring and Fall catalog on School Library Journal. Here’s her review of Barbed Wire Between Us: Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, ill. Violeta Encarnación ISBN: 9781636551920 Publication Date: March 31, 2026 Isn’t that cover just jaw-dropping? This is a complex…