SOUTH ASIA AND THE SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA
IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
A WORK-IN-PROGRESS
TAKE NOTE

South Asia is a subregion of Asia, usually taken as comprising the modern countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The concept of "South Asia" is useful when referring to the countries of the region as a group. The descriptor can be useful when discussing issues that affect the common history, culture, etc. of the countries.

The term diaspora is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture.

Annotations are from the "Card Catalog Description" or "Synopsis" information supplied by publishers to various online booksellers, including, but not limited to, Amazon.com and it's international affiliates, BN.com and Powells.com.

Welcome to an annotated bibliography of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora in children's literature. Read an introduction for the motivations and methodology for this online resource.

Like what you see here? Contact Pooja to speak at your library or conference. Pooja's presentation, More Than Monkeys, Maharajahs and Mangoes: An Overview of South Asian Literature for Kids, provides educators and librarians an overview of representations of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora in children's literature and tools to select authentic books for their classrooms and communities.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Additions? Email sakidlit@poojamakhijani.com.

COMING SOON

Shine, Coconut Moon
Neesha Meminger
In the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Samar, who is of Punjabi heritage but has been raised with no knowledge of her past by her single mother, wants to learn about her family's history and to get in touch with the grandparents her mother shuns.

Skunk Girl
Sheba Karim
Nina Khan is not just the only Asian or Muslim student in her small-town high school in upstate New York, she is also faces the legacy of her "Supernerd" older sister, body hair, and the pain of having a crush when her parents forbid her to date.

ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB

  • CYNSATIONS - Quirky, thoughtful, angsty, joyous musings on all things life and book from writer, Cynthia Leitich Smith
  • The Fire Escape: Books Between Cultures - Official website of author Mitali Perkins. Includes Mitali's Fire Escape, a blog about being in between cultures.
  • Kahani - A bimonthly literary magazine dedicated to empowering, educating and entertaining children of South Asian descent living in North America.
  • PaperTigers - PaperTigers is part of PacificRimVoices, a family of websites and real-life projects that celebrate literary voices from and about the Pacific Rim and South Asia.
  • SAWNET Kid's Books - A list of children's books compiled by South Asian Women's Network.
  • UmaKrishnaswami.com - Official website of author Uma Krishnaswami. Includes conversations with other authors with South Asian connections and common errors in books with South Asian content.
    • YOUNG ADULT

    Aruna's Journeys
    Jyotsna Sreenivasan
    Aruna, an 11-year-old Indian-American girl, reluctantly visits India and in the process discovers more about who she is. Her feminist aunt in India helps her keep true to her own identity.

    Blue Jasmine
    Kashmira Sheth
    When twelve-year-old Seema moves to Iowa City with her parents and younger sister, she leaves friends and family behind in her native India but gradually begins to feel at home in her new country.

    more...

    PICTURE BOOKS

    Aani and the Tree Huggers
    Jeannine Atkins, Illustrated by Venantius J. Pinto
    Based on true events in India in the 1970s, young Aani and the other women in her village defend their forest from developers by wrapping their arms around the trees, making it impossible to cut them down.

    Ashok by Any other Name
    Sandra S. Yamate, Illustrated by Janice Tohinaka
    Ashok is an Indian American boy who wishes he had a more "American" name. In a series of mishaps, he searches for the perfect name for himself.

    more...

    FOLK & FAIRY TALES

    The Adventures of Young Krishna, Blue God of India
    Diksha Dalal-Clayton, Illustrated by Marilyn Heeger
    A collection of myths about the young Krishna, the god who is always getting into trouble because of his boyish pranks.

    Anklet for a Princess: A Cinderella Story from India
    Lila Mehta, Illustrated by Youshang Tang
    Cinduri, hungry and ragged, is befriended by Godfather Snake, who feeds her delicacies and dresses her in gold cloth and anklets with bells and diamonds, to meet the prince.

    more...

    CROSSOVER

    Babyji
    Abha Dawesar
    The story of Anamika Sharma, a spirited student growing up in Delhi. At school she is an ace at physics. At home she sneaks off to her parents’ garage to read the Kamasutra.

    Fasting, Feasting
    Anita Desai
    From the heart of a close-knit Indian household to the cool centre of an American family, this novel examines a surfeit of feasting and Indian family life, and the self-denial and starving of affluent American women in the land of plenty.

    more...

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