Did you know Filipino settlers were the first Asian American community? When Po Po knits, she shares parts of American history that are not often told. As her young granddaughter listens with admiration, Po Po talks about Asian Americans and how their resilience has helped shape the strength and beauty of the United States of America.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Hardcover | 60 Pages | 5.83W in x 7.28L in | 3-8 years
Behind the Design
Stories of True Events
All stories in the book are true events in American history. Some of my illustrations was inspired by different historical photography that I found during my research.
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965). Photograph of Members of the Mochida Family Awaiting Evacuation. 8 May 1942. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Why Po Po?
The idea of creating the character Po Po came about when I was talking to one of my cousins and told her about a project. She suggested that I create a story based on the experiences that my grandmother endured during her childhood growing up in San Francisco, California. I took her suggestion and created a grandmother character that would become the main character in my storybook.
According to Brigham Young University, "Grandparents have been found to be influential in some of the fundamental aspects of their grandchildren's lives, namely in helping them form their identities and in transmitting values, ideals, and beliefs to them. These areas have been described in family research over several decades."
Pictured above is myself and my Po Po when I was about 3 years old. In the background are photos I found of her when she was younger.
Why educate through a children's book?
Children discover their perspective on society through what they see and hear. To help change the misconceptions and stereotypes of Asian Americans, it all begins in the early stages of childhood. Based on the 2019 publishing statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 8.7% of total children’s books had only one primary character who could be identified as Asian/Asian American (“The Numbers Are In: 2019 CCBC Diversity Statistics”, Cooperative Children’s Book Center).
Teaching the youth will help create a platform of tolerance to establish a perspective of understanding and acceptance of others.
