A couple of years back, my son and I read The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio. As we followed Lou’s journey to building a tiny house, I realized it was the first children’s book I’d ever read about a Filipino family. I’ve read thousands of children’s books. Filipinos were the first group of Asians to immigrate to what is today the U.S.A. The Phillipines is also the 13th most populous country in the world.
Put those three facts together and I wanted to know: where are all the Filipino children’s books?
Once I did some research, I found that there were many more books that I thought (though it was easier to find chapter books than picture books.) In this post, I share 14 of my favorite children’s books starring Filipino characters, for kids ages four all the way to fourteen.
This post may include affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. I received a free copy of Surely Surely Marisol Rainey from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Picture books starring Filipino characters
Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore. Illustrated by Kristi Valiant.
Cora loves the kitchen and all the Filipino dishes her family makes there, but she never gets to help with any of the grown up jobs. One day when her older brother and sisters are gone, Mama invites her to make the pancit. There are so many grown up jobs she gets to do, all while wearing Lolo (grandpa’s) special red apron. But what will her family think when they taste her pancit? The delightful illustrations communicate the joy and boisterousness you can expect when a young child helps in the kitchen. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Filipina-American author.)
When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling. Illustrated by Aaron Asis.
A young girl describes the many alluring smells of summer, especially those brought by her Lola (grandmother) when she arrives from the Philippines. She spends every minute of summer with Lola, learning family stories and recipes, and taking swimming lessons with Lola at poolside. The text is full of similes and evocative images, while the expressive brushstrokes in the illustrations bring the joy of summer to life. (Ages 4 – 8. Filipina-American author.)
Related Post: 29 children’s books about Asian American history and culture
Hand Over Hand by Alma Fullerton. Illustrated by Renné Benoit.
Nina always helps her Lolo, who’s a fisherman, by drying fish on the shore before they go to market. But she longs to go out with Lolo on the banca boat to catch fish. Lolo is dismissive of her request at first, saying that a girl’s job is on the shore. After Nina promises she will do all the work herself, he lets her come along, despite teasing from fellow fishermen. But after hours on the banca, Lolo has captured so many fish, and Nina has none. Were the other fishermen right; are girls not good at fishing? (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. White author.)
Related post: 21 powerful books for children and teens about race and racism
Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik: A Cebuano Tale by Christina Newhard. Illustrated by Happy Garaje.
Kalipay is a happy girl (after all that is the meaning of her name), but she wants other children to stop making fun of her. She befriends Gamay, a tiktik who has a split body, an extremely long tongue, and bat wings. While the other children are frightened of how different Gamay is from them, Kalipay finds their differences delightful. But when other unfriendly tiktiks want to hurt Kalipay’s baby brother, keeping him safe might mean that she can’t play with Gamay anymore. How can their friendship continue? (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Bilingual English and Cebuano text. Filipina-American author.)
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Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong by Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta. Illustrated by Andre Sibayan.
Many people know about United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez, but don’t know that Filipino American Larry Itliong was also a co-founder.
Itliong arrived in the United States (against his father’s wishes), dreaming of becoming a lawyer so that he could make life better for people who were poor. But he soon learned that brown skinned immigrants were usually relegated to the worst jobs, including farm work. His groundbreaking work with Dolores Huerta organizing farmworkers eventually convinced Cesar Chavez that Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers must strike together. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: 6 ways kids can learn about farmworkers and support their rights (with book recommendations)
Engaging chapter books starring Filipino characters
Surely Surely Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly (second book in a series)
As the parent of a cautious child with anxiety, Marisol feels so familiar to me! She’s worried about a number of things, especially how she’ll survive kickball in gym class. Her father is away on one of his long work trips on an oil rig, so she’ll have to settle to talking to “Dadhead” (the name she’s given him when they videoconference) about it, since he’s the only family member who really understands.
There never seems to be a good time to talk to Dad about it, and soon her anxiety over kickball has her lashing out at her best friend Jada. Surely surely Marisol will find a way to make things right with Jada. But can she survive kickball, and the teasing that will come if she’s bad at it?
With expressive, quirky illustrations and spot on dialogue, this is an ideal book for newly independent readers. (Recommended for ages 6 – 9. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: 9 diverse chapter book series for independent readers
Freddie vs. the Family Curse by Tracy Badua
Freddie Ruiz isn’t just accident prone; he’s cursed. Even though his parents don’t believe it, Apong Rosing (his great grandmother) has told him that generations of Ruizes have been cursed. Freddie knows he’ll never be able to make friends and take everyday risks until he can rid himself of the curse, so when he discovers an anting-anting (amulet) in his garage, he’s thrilled.
But it turns out the “good luck” charm actually contains the argumentative spirit of his great-granduncle Ramon. The fast-paced story will draw in adventure fans, while readers with a more philosophical bent will appreciate the questions raised about how much is determined by luck, and how much by our own actions. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Filipina-American author.)
Any Day with You by Mae Respicio
The vibe of this delightful story is Hollywood glam mixed with Filipino folklore and history. Kaia has a long list of things she can’t wait to do this summer, including making a movie with her friends at film summer camp. Many of her “must do’s” involve her Tatang (great grandfather). Kaia also longs to figure out what her special gift is, and for Tatang to be just as proud of her as he is of her older pre-med sister.
But when Tatang announces that he’s decided to move back to the Philippines permanantly, Kaia’s world is turned upside down. As she struggles to accept his departure, she’s also determined to make a movie that he’ll never forget, influenced by the Filipino tales he’s told her all her life. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Filipina-American author.)
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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
“It doesn’t take many words to turn your life around.” Children who long to find their voices will take heart from this book’s beautiful message and the story’s unlikely hero, Virgil Salinas. Virgil is so quiet that he can’t even bring himself to tell his parents to stop calling him “Turtle,” let alone say hello to Valencia Somerset (a girl he’s dying to be friends with) or tell bully Chet Bullens to shove it. That’s why he consults with fellow middle schooler Kaori, who takes reading the stars very seriously.
While the four children in the story don’t know each other, fate draws them together when Chet’s harassment of Virgil traps him in a frightening place. All four children will be changed by the day’s events (though some of them more than others.)
Content warning: Chet repeatedly calls Virgil a slur used against mentally disabled people. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: 6 strategies for talking to children about microaggressions
Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar.
Written and illustrated by Dreamworks artist Armand Baltazar, the numerous pages of highly-detailed illustrations and imaginative setting of Timeless are truly cinematic. The story is set after a “Time Collision” that has resulted in people of many different time periods (as well as dinosaurs) living all at the same time on continents that have been re-formed. Diego Ribera has grown up in New Chicago, where steamships and giant human-operated robots both work on the canals, and where people of different time periods interact with both hostility and cooperation.
Diego’s father Santiago is a brilliant engineer whose re-purposed inventions are creating a way forward for New Chicago. But soon after he reveals to Diego that he has a mystical gift – and that Diego has it too – his father is captured by the enemy Aeternum. Diego and his friends are determined to rescue his father, but how can four young teens survive battleships, pirates, and deadly weapons? (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Filipino-American author.)
The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio.
Lou loves spending time with her large Filipino family. But it would be awesome to have some space of her own, something that can’t happen as long as she and her mother as living with her Lola in her small house.
For a long time, she’s dreamed of building a tiny house on the land she inherited when her father died. After all, she’s a star in shop class, so she’s confident that she can figure it out. After her mother announces she’s looking for jobs outside of rapidly-gentrifying San Francisco, Lou realizes it’s time to put her plan into high gear. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: 10 children’s books about housing and homelessness
Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz
In this fictional story inspired by real families who live in Manila’s cemeteries, a fire has destroyed Nora’s home and killed her father. She and her mother live in her father’s gravehouse, and other squatter families help them get by the best they can.
When Nora’s mother doesn’t return after a late night mahjong game, both her courage and willingness to accept help from others are tested. As young readers accompany Nora on her quest to find her mother, their stereotypes about people living in poverty will be challenged. Though Nora faces numerous emotional and physical challenges, her community is just as determined to help her survive as she is. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Filipina-American author.)
Related post: How to talk to children about poverty
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
Written as a series of audio recordings by 11 year old Alex, See You in the Cosmos is a heartfelt account of a boy who chooses to be brave in circumstances that at times seem hopeless. Alex is obsessed with space (so much so that he named his dog Carl Sagan), and is determined to launch his golden iPod into space, filled with recordings for extraterrestrials about his life on earth.
Alex’s mother, who readers will realize is struggling with mental illness (though Alex does not), pays no attention when he sets out on a cross-state trip to a rocket launch competition. While adult readers will likely fear for Alex’s safety at times, he meets remarkably compassionate people who support him on his ever-changing quest. This book is filled with hope and love, while also giving a painfully honest account through a child’s eyes. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Chinese-American author.)
Dear America: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen (Young Readers’ Edition) by Jose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas was sent from the Philippines to America by his mother when he was twelve years old to live with his grandparents. It wasn’t until four years later when he attempted to get a driver’s license that he found out he was undocumented.
In this candid and moving account of his life, Vargas details how he at first tried to master every aspect of American culture to hide the truth about his immigration status. Yet his journey as an investigative reporter eventually showed him that he needed to take the risky path of being honest, in public, about his undocumented status. His moving memoir and piercing questions will prompt young readers to grapple with the question, “what really makes someone American?”
Content warning: The n-word is used one time to describe the history of white American soldiers using this slur for Filipinos. (Recommended for ages 11 – 14. Filipino-American author.)
