Press Release: 2025 Best of the Best Booklist

The Family Literacy Focus Committee from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to announce its 2025 Best of the Best Booklist.

About the Best of the Best Booklist

Launched in 2022, this booklist highlights books about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. APALA members nominated titles published in 2025, and the Family Literacy Focus Committee reviewed them using the Talk Story mission and APALA Rubric to Evaluate Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Literature. Books that receive a 2025 APALA Literature Award or Honor were automatically included in the print edition of the Best of the Best Booklist.

The committee focuses on selecting books that reflect a wide range of AANHPI cultures and experiences, support family literacy and intergenerational conversation, and foster intergenerational connection and conversation.

What are we looking at?

Intergenerational Alignment: The committee identifies books that encourage readers across generations to engage with one another and provide shared reading experiences. Books with great intergenerational alignment encourage dialogue and provide space for families to co-construct meaning, exchange stories, and learn from one another’s perspective.

Cultural Literary and Identity: The committee also evaluates if the book offers readers a sense of empowerment, affirm and strengthen cultural identity, authentically represent and honor AANHPI cultures and lived experiences, and encourage understanding, respect, and celebration of diverse communities.

While the committee focuses on children’s picture books, this booklist is meant for all ages and serves as a resource for educators, families, librarians, and communities.

The 2025 APALA Best of the Best Booklist titles are:

Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures written by Christine Alemshah, illustrated by Dream Chen
The Big Boil-Up written by Angie Belcher, illustrated by Zak Ātea
Nainai’s Mountain written by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Joey Chou
The Pink Pajamas: A Story About Love and Loss written and illustrated by Charlene Chua
Kamal’s Key written and published by Rifk Ebeid, and illustrated by Sophia Soliman
Koro Wētā written by Heather Haylock, Māori translation by Ngairo Eruera, illustrated by Sarah Trolle
Sarang Saves the School written by Korena Di Roma Howley, illustrated by Joowon Oh
Rose Weaves a Garden written and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh
100 Days: A Story of Sisterhood written by Kimberly Lee, illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan
The Beat of the Dragon Boat written by Christina Matula, illustrated by Nicole Wong
Fa’afetai Mama: A Samoan Children’s Story of Gratitude and Love written by Gigi McMoore, illustrated by Franco Caro Revuelta
Veena and the Red Roti: A Story of Hope During Partition written by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Beena Mistry
Meena’s Saturday written by Kusum Mepani, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail
Mama’s Roti written by Raakhee Mirchandani, illustrated by Shreya Gupta
A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home written by Maysa Odeh, illustrated by Aliaa Betawi
What Lolo Wants written by Cristina Oxtra, illustrated by Jamie Bauza
Another Word for Neighbor written by Angela Pham Krans, illustrated by Thai My Phuong
Hilwa’s Gifts written by Safa Suleiman, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
Home, Home written and illustrated by Sibu T. P.
Made for More written by Chloe Ito Ward, illustrated by Gael Abary
Little Bird Laila written by Kelly Yang, illustrated by Xindi Yan

Access the print-friendly version of the booklist.

For additional information about the Best of the Best Booklist, please visit our webpage.

To purchase the Best of the Best Booklist titles, please consider visiting the APALA Bookshop.

Looking for more ways to connect, learn, and explore? Check out our full collection of resources on the Talk Story Together page featuring booklists, activity ideas, and tools to support family reading and cultural connection.

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The APALA Family Literacy Focus Committee includes: Jessea Young and Jennifer Woo, co-chairs, Nicole Fernandez, Erika Fitzpatrick, Alvina Lai, Cathy Lin, Patty Sumire McGowan, and Kim Nguyen.