New Jersey Asian American authors bring long-missing representation to children's books
For generations, the heroes of children's literature often looked the same, leaving millions of young readers searching for a reflection that wasn't there. This Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a new wave of authors is rewriting the script.
A few years ago, when Ran Wei of Maplewood, New Jersey, went searching for children's books to read to her daughter, Lily, she found almost no characters who looked like her family.
"I think we had come up with Cho Chang from Harry Potter, and I remember Claudia from the Babysitters Club," Wei said. "For me, especially for my children who are multicultural, it's just really important to see representation out there."
That's when Wei created Boba Bear — a bilingual book series about a cub of mixed heritage, honoring her own children's multiracial identity.
"When I'm reading with them, I want them to feel the immense sense of pride, belonging, connection," she said.
Filling a long-standing void
Wei is part of a surging movement of Asian American authors who are closing a gap in children's publishing.
According to the Cooperative Children's Book Center, books featuring significant AAPI characters or written by AAPI authors and illustrators jumped from just 2% to 22% over the last 30 years.
That shift is clearly visible at the Queens Public Library, where Director of Technical Services Hong Yao says their AAPI juvenile book collection has doubled in the last six years to more than 17,000 items.
"Publishers finally realized that we do have a community because our circulation is very high," Yao said. "They can tell that the material related to Asians, to AAPI authors, issues — people like it."
The library continues to evolve alongside the borough's changing demographics, recently adding several new Bengali-language titles, including The Love Match by author Priyanka Taslim.
"You can be a man character"
The young adult romance novel, set in Paterson, New Jersey, follows a love triangle between three Bangladeshi American teens.
"I wanted to show the students I teach as well — you can be a main character, you can be the heart of a story like this, and you deserve happy endings just like everybody else," Taslim said.
For Wei's 4-year-old daughter, Lily, the connection is already real.
"I like Boba Bear because she's just like me," Lily said.
It's exactly the kind of moment that keeps Baker writing. She's already working on her next book to make sure her daughters always feel like they belong.
