Asian, Pacific Islander, & Middle Eastern (APIME) Heritage Month Resources: APIME Books at the UNLV Teacher Development & Resources Library Library

The lamp is gone! Aminah can't believe her eyes when she opens her hidden closet to find the jinni's vessel missing. As much as she hates to suspect her dear friend Idris, he is the only one who knows how to access the magic lamp, and now he has run off. But somehow Jinni is left behind, trapped outside the lamp and devoid of his powers. He is traumatized by this event and finds himself changing from acting like Omar, the kindly uncle Aminah trained him to be, and Gindar, the greedy gambler he was back in his human days. When Aminah and Jinni set off after Idris, Aminah wonders which one of Jinni's personalities will accompany her on the journey--and how they will ever manage without magic. As it turns out, they must rely on wits, bravery, luck, and a bit of sorcery from an unexpected source in order to survive thieving bandits, pirates, and their biggest challenge of all: Princess Badr, who seeks not only the lamp, but also revenge.

Filled with delectable recipes, hands-on family activities, and traditional tales to read aloud, this extraordinary collection will inspire families everywhere to re-create the magic of Chinese holidays in their own homes. They can feast on golden New Year's dumplings and tasty moon cakes, build a miniature boat for the Dragon Boat Festival and a kite at Qing Ming, or share the story of the greedy Kitchen God or the valiant warrior Hou Yi. This stunning compilation from bestselling cookbook author Nina Simonds and Leslie Swartz of the Children's Museum, Boston, is the perfect gift for families that have embraced Chinese holidays for generations--and for those just beginning new traditions.

Kogi longs to capture the spirit of nature in his art. He draws majestic mountains, trees, waterfalls, and Lake Biwa's glimmering fish, but his paintings are always lifeless and dull-until one supernatural morning when he wades into the cool, deep, shimmering water and becomes a golden fish. There he learns firsthand the freedom within the silence that pulsates in all of life. When hunger drives him to risk the fisherman's baited hook, another miraculous transformation forces Kogi back to his life as a painter, but a painter now forever changed. Elizabeth Partridge's elegant prose and Aki Sogabe's cut-paper illustrations bring clean lines and lush color to this mysterious tale of discovery. Adapted by Elizabeth Partridge. Illustrated by Aki Sogabe

Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule--until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided thatboth girls and boys should be free to drum and dream.         Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers,Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.

Inside Out and Back Again meets One Crazy Summer and Brown Girl Dreaming in this novel-in-verse about fitting in and standing up for what's right It's 1969, and the Apollo 11 mission is getting ready to go to the moon. But for half-black, half-Japanese Mimi, moving to a predominantly white Vermont town is enough to make her feel alien. Suddenly, Mimi's appearance is all anyone notices. She struggles to fit in with her classmates, even as she fights for her right to stand out by entering science competitions and joining Shop Class instead of Home Ec. And even though teachers and neighbors balk at her mixed-race family and her refusals to conform, Mimi's dreams of becoming an astronaut never fade--no matter how many times she's told no. This historical middle-grade novel is told in poems from Mimi's perspective over the course of one year in her new town, and shows readers that positive change can start with just one person speaking up.

In this beautifully written picture book, Hana Hashimoto has signed up to play her violin at her school's talent show. The trouble is, she's only a beginner, and she's had only three lessons. Her brothers insist she isn't good enough. ?It's a talent show, Hana,? they tell her. ?You'll be a disaster!? Hana remembers how wonderfully her talented grandfather, or Ojiichan, played his violin when she was visiting him in Japan. So, just like Ojiichan, Hana practices every day. She is determined to play her best. When Hana's confidence wavers on the night of the show, however, she begins to wonder if her brothers were right. But then Hana surprises everyone once it's her turn to perform --- even herself! The Asian American female protagonist in this story offers a unique perspective, and bestselling author Chieri Uegaki has woven in lyrical scenes from Japan that add depth and resonance. The details in the artwork by Qin Leng connect the two places and contain a feeling of melody throughout. In the classroom, this book could serve as a celebration of music and performing arts, multicultural studies or the importance of intergenerational relationships. It is also a fabulous character education tie-in for discussing courage and perseverance. This terrifically inspiring book offers hope and confidence to all children who are yearning to master something difficult. Perhaps even more important, it allows children to see that there is more than one way to be successful at a task.

With a white mother and a Japanese father, Koji Miyamoto quickly realises that his home in San Francisco is no longer a welcoming one after Pearl Harbor is attacked. And once he's sent to an internment camp, he learns that being half white at the camp is just as difficult as being half Japanese on the streets of an American city during WWII. Koji's story, based on true events, is brought to life by Matt Faulkner's cinematic illustrations that reveal Koji struggling to find his place in a tumultuous world-one where he is a prisoner of war in his own country.