PICTURE BOOKS
BH China (1:76) Chinese Nursery Rhymes
BH Japan 1:78 Japanese Lullaby
BH Japan 3:164 Little Maid of Far Japan (poem)
BH Korea 6-191 Pigling and Her Proud Sister, A Korean Cinderella tale
BH Japan 1:78 Japanese Lullaby
BH Japan 3:164 Little Maid of Far Japan (poem)
BH Korea 6-191 Pigling and Her Proud Sister, A Korean Cinderella tale
♦ China 8000 Stones by Diane Wolkstein
A Chinese folk tale about problem solving.
$ China Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tomperl
"Drawing on a Chinese form of storytelling with seven shapes cut from a square of paper, Tompert recounts the tale of two fox fairies."
♦ $ China Marco Polo by Gian Paolo Ceserani
♦ $ China Ming-Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel
♦ $ China The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
Classic story of 5 clever brothers, each with an extraordinary gift.
♦ $ China The Last Dragon by Susan Miho Nunes
Learn Chinese culture and story behind Chinese New Year.
♦ China The Magic Wings by Diane Wolkstein
♦ $ China The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen
Beautifully illustrated version.
♦ $ China The Nightingale illustrated by Jerry Pinckney
♥ $ China The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack (1933)
This story of a little duck's misadventures on the Yangtze River has charmed generations of children.
♦ $ China Tikki-Tikki-Tembo by Arlene Mosel
Children still love hearing about the boy with the long name who fell down the well.
♦ $ Japan Crow Boy by Taro Yashima
♦ $ Japan The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson
A beautiful mandarin duck is captured by a greedy lord.
$ Japan The Warrior and the Wiseman by David Wisniewski
An emperor gives his twin sons, one a warrior and one a wise man, a quest to see which will rule his kingdom.
A Chinese folk tale about problem solving.
$ China Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tomperl
"Drawing on a Chinese form of storytelling with seven shapes cut from a square of paper, Tompert recounts the tale of two fox fairies."
♦ $ China Marco Polo by Gian Paolo Ceserani
♦ $ China Ming-Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel
♦ $ China The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
Classic story of 5 clever brothers, each with an extraordinary gift.
♦ $ China The Last Dragon by Susan Miho Nunes
Learn Chinese culture and story behind Chinese New Year.
♦ China The Magic Wings by Diane Wolkstein
♦ $ China The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen
Beautifully illustrated version.
♦ $ China The Nightingale illustrated by Jerry Pinckney
♥ $ China The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack (1933)
This story of a little duck's misadventures on the Yangtze River has charmed generations of children.
♦ $ China Tikki-Tikki-Tembo by Arlene Mosel
Children still love hearing about the boy with the long name who fell down the well.
♦ $ Japan Crow Boy by Taro Yashima
♦ $ Japan The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson
A beautiful mandarin duck is captured by a greedy lord.
$ Japan The Warrior and the Wiseman by David Wisniewski
An emperor gives his twin sons, one a warrior and one a wise man, a quest to see which will rule his kingdom.
EARLY READERS
IMAGINATIVE
BH China (4:137) The Girl Who Used Her Wits
BH Japan (3:165) The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
BH Japan (6:222) The Moon Maiden
BH Japan (3:165) The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
BH Japan (6:222) The Moon Maiden
JC China (2:198) Chop-Sticks
JC China (1:270) The Five Chinese Brothers
JC Japan (2:191) The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
JC China (1:270) The Five Chinese Brothers
JC Japan (2:191) The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
♥ China A Chinese Wonder Book by Norman Pitman
♦ $ China All the Way to Lhasa
A Tale of Tibet. A young boy and his yak bravely overcome all odds to get to Lhasa, giving a wise and simple message that will inspire children of any age to dream and reach for a shining goal that may seem "very far."
♦ China Chinese Children's Favorite Stories by Mingmei Yip
♥ China Chinese Fables and Folks Stories by Mary Davis and Chow-Leung (1908)
♥ China Chinese Fairy Tales by Herbert Giles
♦ China Chinese Fairy Tales by Shirley Goulden (color illustrations)
♥ China Chinese Folk-lore Tales by John MacGowan (1910)
♥ China Folk Tales From Tibet by William O’Connor (1906)
♦ $ China The Ch'i-Lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories by Linda Fang
In turns funny, poignant, and wise, these nine lively stories are peopled with an array of unusual characters, including a young woman raised as a boy who is then faced with the complicated business of marriage; a carp-fish spirit who changes herself into a young woman for love's sake; a Miracle Doctor who can cure all illnesses except one; and a shopkeeper who learns the hard way the true meaning of justice.
► China Weiss, Jim Tales from Cultures Near and Far
♦ Japan Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Japan by Virginia Haviland
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy Tales by Lafcadio Hearn (1918)
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Williston (1904)
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy World by William Griffis (1880)
♥ Japan Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales by Mary Nixon-Roulet (1908)
♥ Japan The Japanese Fairy Book by Yei Ozaki (1903)
♦ $ Japan The Tale of the Shining Princess
A translation of a thousand-year-old Japanese folktale follows a tiny princess from the moon who was found in a bamboo shoot.
♦ $ Japan Three Strong Women by Claus Stamm
A humorous tall tale from Japan.
► Japan Weiss, Jim A Treasury of Wisdom, Stories of Hope and Inspiration, 1890s Japan
♦ $ China All the Way to Lhasa
A Tale of Tibet. A young boy and his yak bravely overcome all odds to get to Lhasa, giving a wise and simple message that will inspire children of any age to dream and reach for a shining goal that may seem "very far."
♦ China Chinese Children's Favorite Stories by Mingmei Yip
♥ China Chinese Fables and Folks Stories by Mary Davis and Chow-Leung (1908)
♥ China Chinese Fairy Tales by Herbert Giles
♦ China Chinese Fairy Tales by Shirley Goulden (color illustrations)
♥ China Chinese Folk-lore Tales by John MacGowan (1910)
♥ China Folk Tales From Tibet by William O’Connor (1906)
♦ $ China The Ch'i-Lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories by Linda Fang
In turns funny, poignant, and wise, these nine lively stories are peopled with an array of unusual characters, including a young woman raised as a boy who is then faced with the complicated business of marriage; a carp-fish spirit who changes herself into a young woman for love's sake; a Miracle Doctor who can cure all illnesses except one; and a shopkeeper who learns the hard way the true meaning of justice.
► China Weiss, Jim Tales from Cultures Near and Far
♦ Japan Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Japan by Virginia Haviland
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy Tales by Lafcadio Hearn (1918)
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy Tales by Teresa Williston (1904)
♥ Japan Japanese Fairy World by William Griffis (1880)
♥ Japan Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales by Mary Nixon-Roulet (1908)
♥ Japan The Japanese Fairy Book by Yei Ozaki (1903)
♦ $ Japan The Tale of the Shining Princess
A translation of a thousand-year-old Japanese folktale follows a tiny princess from the moon who was found in a bamboo shoot.
♦ $ Japan Three Strong Women by Claus Stamm
A humorous tall tale from Japan.
► Japan Weiss, Jim A Treasury of Wisdom, Stories of Hope and Inspiration, 1890s Japan
LEGENDARY/EPIC HEROES
$ China Beautiful Warrior The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu By Emily Arnold McCully
"A lively retelling of the legend of Wu Mei, a woman who was allowed to study Kung Fu with Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Monastery. Political turmoil isolates Wu Mei from her family but her self=discipline and dedication provide a new path.".
"A lively retelling of the legend of Wu Mei, a woman who was allowed to study Kung Fu with Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Monastery. Political turmoil isolates Wu Mei from her family but her self=discipline and dedication provide a new path.".
CULTURAL
FC OC12 Japanese, Korean, Chinese
FC OC13 Japanese Twin, Siamese Cousin
FC OC13 Japanese Twin, Siamese Cousin
JC China (1:298) How Little Pear Went to the Fair
♦ $ China A Time of Golden Dragons by Song Nan Zhang
Through the ages, the dragon has been an important symbol for the Chinese. A time of Golden Dragons is the most auspicious possible. In fascinating text and beautiful paintings, Song Nan and Hao Yu Zhang trace the dragon’s history. Perhaps inspired by giant crocodiles, the image of the dragon affects every aspect of life in China, including the marking of dragon years, the flying of dragon kites, and the eating of dragon cakes at dragon boat races.
♥ China Children of Cathay by Jennie Beckingsale (1904)
Story of children’s lives in China a hundred years ago.
♦ $ China Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz
"Fritz draws the readers into scenes from her youth in the turbulent China of the mid-twenties. One comes to appreciate the generous affection of her nurse/companion Lin Nai-Nai, the isolating distance in her mother's grief over losing a second child, the dynamics of a suffering population venting its hostility on foreigners, and most of all, the loneliness of a child's exile from a homeland she has imagined constantly but never seen.... A remarkable blend of truth and storytelling."
♦ $ China Little Pear by Eleanor Lattimore
Little Pear is a small boy who lives in rural China.
♥ China Our Little Chinese Cousin by Isaac Headland
$ China Tales of a Chinese Grandmother by Frances Carpenter (1937)
An endearing look at Chinese culture through the eyes of a grandmother.
♦ $ China The Children of China: An Artist's Journey by Song Nan Zhang
A beautiful book of Chinese family life painted by a Chinese artist.
♥ $ China The Honorable Crimson Tree by Anita Ferris
Cultural tales of China.
♦ China The Picture Story of China by Emily Hahn
♥ China When I Was a Boy in China by Yan Phou Lee (1887) Life in China through the eyes of a boy born in 1861.
♥ China Wah Sing, Our Little Chinese Cousin by Helen Campbell
♦ China Yen-Foh, a Chinese Boy by Ethel Eldridge
♥ Japan Our Little Japanese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Wade
♥ Korea Our Little Korean Cousin by Henry Lee Pike
♥ Thailand Our Little Siamese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Wade
Through the ages, the dragon has been an important symbol for the Chinese. A time of Golden Dragons is the most auspicious possible. In fascinating text and beautiful paintings, Song Nan and Hao Yu Zhang trace the dragon’s history. Perhaps inspired by giant crocodiles, the image of the dragon affects every aspect of life in China, including the marking of dragon years, the flying of dragon kites, and the eating of dragon cakes at dragon boat races.
♥ China Children of Cathay by Jennie Beckingsale (1904)
Story of children’s lives in China a hundred years ago.
♦ $ China Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz
"Fritz draws the readers into scenes from her youth in the turbulent China of the mid-twenties. One comes to appreciate the generous affection of her nurse/companion Lin Nai-Nai, the isolating distance in her mother's grief over losing a second child, the dynamics of a suffering population venting its hostility on foreigners, and most of all, the loneliness of a child's exile from a homeland she has imagined constantly but never seen.... A remarkable blend of truth and storytelling."
♦ $ China Little Pear by Eleanor Lattimore
Little Pear is a small boy who lives in rural China.
♥ China Our Little Chinese Cousin by Isaac Headland
$ China Tales of a Chinese Grandmother by Frances Carpenter (1937)
An endearing look at Chinese culture through the eyes of a grandmother.
♦ $ China The Children of China: An Artist's Journey by Song Nan Zhang
A beautiful book of Chinese family life painted by a Chinese artist.
♥ $ China The Honorable Crimson Tree by Anita Ferris
Cultural tales of China.
♦ China The Picture Story of China by Emily Hahn
♥ China When I Was a Boy in China by Yan Phou Lee (1887) Life in China through the eyes of a boy born in 1861.
♥ China Wah Sing, Our Little Chinese Cousin by Helen Campbell
♦ China Yen-Foh, a Chinese Boy by Ethel Eldridge
♥ Japan Our Little Japanese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Wade
♥ Korea Our Little Korean Cousin by Henry Lee Pike
♥ Thailand Our Little Siamese Cousin by Mary Hazelton Wade
FICTION
JC China (4:163) Li Lun, Lad of Courage
On Blue Shark Island off the coast of China, every boy who reaches the age of ten must go on a fishing voyage to prove he is a man. Li Lun refused, for he was afraid of the sea. As a punishment for this disobedience, Li Lun was commanded by his father to plant seven grains of rice on the top of Lao Shan, The Sorrow Mountain. He could not return until he had grown forty-nine grains. With the jeers of boys ringing in his ears, Li Lun climbed the mountain and planted the rice.
JC Japan The Big Wave by Pearl Buck
When a huge tidal wave washes away his home, a little Japanese boy proves that he has great courage.
JC Korean (2:178) Yi-Chang and the Haunted House
JC Thailand (4:310) Wild Elephant Raid from Burma Boy by Willis Lindquist
At one time the mighty elephant Majda Koom had been as a playfellow to the boy Haji, who rode everywhere on the great animals head. But now Majda Koom leads a herd of wild elephants and is known as a killer. The men of the village say he must die.
On Blue Shark Island off the coast of China, every boy who reaches the age of ten must go on a fishing voyage to prove he is a man. Li Lun refused, for he was afraid of the sea. As a punishment for this disobedience, Li Lun was commanded by his father to plant seven grains of rice on the top of Lao Shan, The Sorrow Mountain. He could not return until he had grown forty-nine grains. With the jeers of boys ringing in his ears, Li Lun climbed the mountain and planted the rice.
JC Japan The Big Wave by Pearl Buck
When a huge tidal wave washes away his home, a little Japanese boy proves that he has great courage.
JC Korean (2:178) Yi-Chang and the Haunted House
JC Thailand (4:310) Wild Elephant Raid from Burma Boy by Willis Lindquist
At one time the mighty elephant Majda Koom had been as a playfellow to the boy Haji, who rode everywhere on the great animals head. But now Majda Koom leads a herd of wild elephants and is known as a killer. The men of the village say he must die.
♦ $ China A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman
A clever peasant farmer wins the hand of the Emperor's beautiful daughter.
$ China Dream-of-Jade The Emperor's Cat by Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Alexander has written this little masterpiece filled with details from ancient Chinese court life. With his sharp wit, tongue-in-cheek humor, and good-natured satire, he exposes the rigidity of ancient imperial customs and traditions. Dream-of-Jade’s no-nonsense solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems delight children and adults alike, making this tale an unforgettable reading adventure for the entire family.
♦ $ China Li Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn Treffinger
Banished to a lonely mountaintop to grow rice, Li Lun does what no one has been able to do before.
$ China Little Silk by Jacqueline Ayer
Set in Hong Kong, an old man finds an old, lost doll and gives it love and attention.
$ China Starry River by the Sky by Grace Lin
The moon has gone missing and a young boy weaves in Chinese folk lore to solve the mystery.
$ China The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen (1967)
A tale of ancient China of a young daughter of the emperor who is so tiny, her father never notices her until she saves his life.
♦ $ Where the Mountains Meet the Moon by Grace Lin
In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune.
♦ $ Japan Little Plum by Rumer Godden
When a new girl moves in next door, Nona and Belinda think she is stuck up and do not want to be friends with her, until they see that she has a Japanese doll in her window that is just like Nona's dolls.
♦ $ Japan Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
When Nona is sent from her home in India to live with her relatives in England, she is miserable. Then a box arrives for her and inside are two little Japanese dolls. Nona thinks that they must feel lonely too, so far away from home. Then, Nona has an idea - she will build her dolls the perfect house!
♦ $ Japan The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.
A clever peasant farmer wins the hand of the Emperor's beautiful daughter.
$ China Dream-of-Jade The Emperor's Cat by Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Alexander has written this little masterpiece filled with details from ancient Chinese court life. With his sharp wit, tongue-in-cheek humor, and good-natured satire, he exposes the rigidity of ancient imperial customs and traditions. Dream-of-Jade’s no-nonsense solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems delight children and adults alike, making this tale an unforgettable reading adventure for the entire family.
♦ $ China Li Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn Treffinger
Banished to a lonely mountaintop to grow rice, Li Lun does what no one has been able to do before.
$ China Little Silk by Jacqueline Ayer
Set in Hong Kong, an old man finds an old, lost doll and gives it love and attention.
$ China Starry River by the Sky by Grace Lin
The moon has gone missing and a young boy weaves in Chinese folk lore to solve the mystery.
$ China The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen (1967)
A tale of ancient China of a young daughter of the emperor who is so tiny, her father never notices her until she saves his life.
♦ $ Where the Mountains Meet the Moon by Grace Lin
In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune.
♦ $ Japan Little Plum by Rumer Godden
When a new girl moves in next door, Nona and Belinda think she is stuck up and do not want to be friends with her, until they see that she has a Japanese doll in her window that is just like Nona's dolls.
♦ $ Japan Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden
When Nona is sent from her home in India to live with her relatives in England, she is miserable. Then a box arrives for her and inside are two little Japanese dolls. Nona thinks that they must feel lonely too, so far away from home. Then, Nona has an idea - she will build her dolls the perfect house!
♦ $ Japan The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.
HISTORICAL
HISTORICAL FICTION
JC Japan (4:205) The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
♦ China He Went With Marco Polo by Louise Andrew Kent
BIOGRAPHIES
♦ China Marco Polo by Ruth Weir