East Asia - Japan

Anzu the Great Kaiju By Benson Shum, Benson Shum (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Benson Shum, Benson Shum (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250776129
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Roaring Brook Press - January 11th, 2022

An adorable picture book about a tiny monster with a big heart trying to follow in his family's footsteps.

All great Kaiju are born with a super power to strike fear in the heart of the city.
But Anzu is different.
Instead of mayhem, he likes May flowers.
Instead of striking fear, he prefers to be sincere.


Staff Pick Badge
Temple Alley Summer By Sachiko Kashiwaba, Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator), Miho Satake (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Sachiko Kashiwaba, Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator), Miho Satake (Illustrator)
$18.00
ISBN: 9781632063038
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Yonder - July 6th, 2021

Winner of the 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award

A July/August 2021 Kids' Indie Next Pick

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection


The Lost Ryu By Emi Watanabe Cohen Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781646141326
Availability: Not in stock but may be ordered. Subject to Publisher Availability.
Published: Levine Querido - June 7th, 2022

BEST OF THE YEAR:
Chicago Public Library · Kids’ Indie Next List


A story of multigenerational pain, magic, and the lengths to which we'll go to protect the people we love.

Kohei Fujiwara has never seen a big ryū in real life.


The Big Bath House By Kyo Maclear, Gracey Zhang (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kyo Maclear, Gracey Zhang (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780593181959
Availability: Not in stock but may be ordered. Subject to Publisher Availability.
Published: Random House Studio - November 16th, 2021

A joyful celebration of Japanese cultural traditions and body positivity as a young girl visits a bath house with her grandmother and aunties


Natsumi! By Susan Lendroth, Priscilla Burris (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Susan Lendroth, Priscilla Burris (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780399170904
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - March 13th, 2018

Natsumi is small but full of big exuberance, and puts her girl-power to good use when she discovers a Japanese tradition as energetic as she is.


Displacement By Kiku Hughes Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250193537
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: First Second - August 18th, 2020

A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps in Displacement, a historical graphic novel from Kiku Hughes.


Ojiichan's Gift By Chieri Uegaki, Genevieve Simms (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Chieri Uegaki, Genevieve Simms (Illustrator)
$19.99
ISBN: 9781771389631
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Kids Can Press - April 2nd, 2019

When Mayumi was born, her grandfather created a garden for her. It was unlike any other garden she knew. It had no flowers or vegetables. Instead, Ojiichan made it out of stones: “big ones, little ones and ones in-between.” Every summer, Mayumi visits her grandfather in Japan, and they tend the garden together. Raking the gravel is her favorite part.


Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry By Fausto Gilberti Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781838660802
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Phaidon Press - March 18th, 2020

A clever, quirky book about one of the world's most beloved contemporary artists - aimed at young readers and written from Kusama's point of view!

Yayoi Kusama covers her paintings in hundreds and hundreds of dots.


Chirri & Chirra, On The Town By Kaya Doi, David Boyd (Translated by) Cover Image
By Kaya Doi, David Boyd (Translated by)
$16.95
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781592702787
Published: Enchanted Lion - December 31st, 2019

Having explored blossoming fields, a magical mound of tall grass, crystal caves and underground passageways, here Chirri and Chirra explore life in town!


★ Winner of Multicultural Award, 2021 Northern Lights Book Awards


Chirri & Chirra, In the Tall Grass By Kaya Doi (Created by), Yuki Kaneko (Translated by) Cover Image
By Kaya Doi (Created by), Yuki Kaneko (Translated by)
$16.95
ISBN: 9781592702251
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Enchanted Lion - June 20th, 2017

Chirri and Chirra go on an imaginative adventure where they discover the small overlooked mysteries of the natural world

In their second adventure to reach the US market, Chirri & Chirra become very small, and so are able to explore the magical world hidden away in a mound of tall grass.


Bounce Back By Misako Rocks! Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781250806291
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Feiwel & Friends - November 16th, 2021

Lilico, with the help of her cat, must learn to adjust to a new country, a new school, and new pressures in Bounce Back, a middle grade graphic novel from author/illustrator Misako Rocks! about finding your team and finding yourself.

Lilico’s life in Japan is going well. She has great friends and is the captain of the school's basketball team. She’s happy!


Chirri & Chirra, Under the Sea By Kaya Doi, David Boyd (Translated by) Cover Image
By Kaya Doi, David Boyd (Translated by)
$16.95
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781592703029
Published: Enchanted Lion - May 12th, 2020

On their sixth adventure, Chirri and Chirra bicycle beneath the waves, discovering the beauty of coral and the deliciousness of marine edibles.

Chirri and Chirra are pedaling along when they find a cave. At the end of the tunnel, they see a light. Oh! They are under the sea!


Write Your Own Haiku for Kids: Write Poetry in the Japanese Tradition - Easy Step-By-Step Instructions to Compose Simple Poems By Patricia Donegan Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9780804849296
Availability: Not in stock but may be ordered. Subject to Publisher Availability.
Published: Tuttle Publishing - April 3rd, 2018

*Winner Armed with the Arts Inc. Creative Book Award*

In this fun Japanese children's book, kids will learn to create haiku--elegant and simplistic Japanese poems.


Japanese Children's Favorite Stories (Favorite Children's Stories) By Florence Sakade, Yoshisuke Kurosaki (Illustrator) Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9784805312605
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Tuttle Publishing - February 4th, 2014

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents Japanese fairy tales and other folk stories--providing insight into a vibrant literary culture.


Snow White (Once Upon a World) By Chloe Perkins, Misa Saburi (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Chloe Perkins, Misa Saburi (Illustrator)
$8.99
ISBN: 9781481471855
Availability: Not in stock but may be ordered. Subject to Publisher Availability.
Published: Little Simon - September 13th, 2016

The classic story of Snow White gets a fresh twist in this vibrant Japanese spin on the beloved fairy tale!

Once upon a time, there was a princess called Snow White.


All About Japan: Stories, Songs, Crafts and Games for Kids By Willamarie Moore, Kazumi Wilds (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Willamarie Moore, Kazumi Wilds (Illustrator)
$14.95
ISBN: 9784805314401
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Tuttle Publishing - February 21st, 2017

**2012 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award Winner!**

A cultural adventure for kids, All About Japan offers a journey to a new place—and ways to bring it to life! Dive into stories, play some games from Japan, and learn some Japanese songs.


Grandfather's Journey: A Caldecott Award Winner By Allen Say, Allen Say (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Allen Say, Allen Say (Illustrator)
$7.99
ISBN: 9780547076805
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Clarion Books - October 27th, 2008

In this Caldecott Medalwinning picture book, master storyteller Allen Say chronicles his family’s history between Japan and California. A lyrical, breathtaking tale of one man’s love for two countries, Grandfather’s Journey is perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Thank You, Omu!


Baseball Saved Us By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee (Illustrator)
$10.95
ISBN: 9781880000199
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Lee & Low Books - October 16th, 2018

Twenty-five years ago, Baseball Saved Us changed the picture-book landscape with its honest story of a Japanese American boy in an internment camp during World War II. This anniversary edition will introduce new readers to this modern-day classic.

One day my dad looked out at the endless desert and decided then and there to build a baseball field.


They Called Us Enemy By George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker (Illustrator) Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781603094504
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Top Shelf Productions - July 16th, 2019

New York Times Bestseller!

A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.


Farewell to Manzanar By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston (Illustrator), James D. Houston Cover Image
$10.99
ISBN: 9781328742117
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Clarion Books - December 12th, 2023

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston recalls her childhood at a Japanese incarceration camp in this engrossing memoir that has become a staple of curriculum in schools and on campuses across the country.


It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way By Kyo Maclear, Julie Morstad (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kyo Maclear, Julie Morstad (Illustrator)
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062447623
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: HarperCollins - October 8th, 2019

* 4 Starred Reviews *

* An Indie Next List Pick *

“Playful, bold, and, much like its subject, full of grace.” —Jillian Tamaki, Caldecott Honor winner for This One Summer


Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen By Debbi Michiko Florence, Elizabet Vukovic (Illustrator) Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780374308346
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) - July 11th, 2017

*A fun activity included in every book!*

A Junior Library Guild Fall 2017 Selection
An Amazon's Best Children's Books of 2017

A Beverly Clearly Children's Choice Award Nominee
An Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids List 2017
A Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books 2017
A 2017 Nerdy Book Club Award Winner


Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl By Debbi Michiko Florence, Elizabet Vukovic (Illustrator) Cover Image
$5.99
ISBN: 9780374308360
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) - April 3rd, 2018

*A fun activity included in every book!*

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018

A CYBILS Easy Reader and Early Chapter Book Award Winner


Weedflower By Cynthia Kadohata Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9781416975663
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - January 27th, 2009

Twelve-year-old Sumiko feels her life has been made up of two parts: before Pearl Harbor and after it. The good part and the bad part. Raised on a flower farm in California, Sumiko is used to being the only Japanese girl in her class. Even when the other kids tease her, she always has had her flowers and family to go home to.

That all changes after the horrific events of Pearl Harbor.


Enemy Child: The Story of Norman Mineta, a Boy Imprisoned in a Japanese American Internment Camp During World War II By Andrea Warren Cover Image
$22.99
ISBN: 9780823441518
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Margaret Ferguson Books - April 30th, 2019

It's 1941 and ten-year-old Norman Mineta is a carefree fourth grader in San Jose, California, who loves baseball, hot dogs, and Cub Scouts. But when Japanese forces attack Pearl Harbor, Norm's world is turned upside down.

Corecipient of The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
A Horn Book Best Book of the Year


A Place to Belong By Cynthia Kadohata, Julia Kuo (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Cynthia Kadohata, Julia Kuo (Illustrator)
$8.99
ISBN: 9781481446655
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books - June 9th, 2020

Five starred reviews!

“Another gift from Kadohata to her readers.” —Booklist (starred review)

A Japanese American family, reeling from their ill treatment in the Japanese imprisonment camps, gives up their American citizenship to move back to Hiroshima, unaware of the devastation wreaked by the atomic bomb in this piercing and all too relev


Love in the Library By Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Yas Imamura (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Yas Imamura (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781536204308
Availability: On Our Shelves Now or Recently
Published: Candlewick - February 8th, 2022

"A powerful must-read."—Booklist (starred review)

Set in an incarceration camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak.


We Are Not Free: A Printz Honor Winner By Traci Chee Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780358668107
Availability: Not in stock but may be ordered. Subject to Publisher Availability.
Published: Clarion Books - March 1st, 2022

* NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * PRINTZ HONOR BOOK * WALTER HONOR BOOK * ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE HONOR BOOK *