Teacher Library

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The Carolina Asia Center is proud to present our Teacher Library. We have accumulated books and videos for K-12 and community college educators to share in their classroom. We are now starting to lend out these resources through Carolina Navigators, a program of the Center for Global Initiatives that provides K-12 and community college instructors and students with global education resources.

• There is no cost!
• Order them online on this link at the Carolina Navigator’s website 
• All book sets can be lent out for 2-4 weeks
• We will ship it out to you to any place in NC and provide a return shipping label
• Check the availability tab for dates it is available- It will not be available in the summer
• For more information, email our Program Associate at cac@unc.edu

Available Book Sets

Asian Historical Fiction Book Set

This book set contains historical fiction about Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, refugees from Vietnam, and Cambodia and American railroads in 1865. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: 1st-3rd grade, Lexile AD 600L, Award-Winning)
• The Dalai Lama by Demi (Age Range: 6-10 years old, Grade Level: 1st-5th grade, Award-Winning)
• The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland (Age Range: 6-9 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade, Lexile AD 660L, Award-Winning)
• A Song for Cambodia by Michelle Lord (Age Range: 8-10 years old, Grade Level: 1st-5th grade, Lexile AD 840L, Award-Winning)
• The Cambodian Dancer: Sophany’s Gift of Hope by Daryn Reicherter (Age Range: 4-9 years old, Grade Level: Kindergarten-2nd grade)
• The Coolies by Yin (Age Range: 5-9 years old, Grade Level: 1st-4th grade, Lexile AD 660L, Award-Winning)
• Three Years and Eight Months by Icy Smith (Age Range: 8-10 years old, Grade Level: 4th-6th grade, Lexile 790L, Award-Winning)

Asian Folktales Book Set 1

These folktales come from all over Asia to share timeless stories. Folktales vary from ghost stories from Japan, Sijo poems from Korea, tales from Tibet, and more. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Asian Tales and Tellers retold by Cathy Spagnoli (Age Range: 9 and up, Grade Level: 4th-6th grade, Lexile 920L, Award-Winning)
• Mysterious Tales of Japan retold by Rafe Martin (Age Range: 8 and up, Grade Level: 3rd-7th grade, Award-Winning)
• Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) by Linda Sue Park (Age Range: 9-12 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade, Lexile 650L, Award-Winning)
• Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas by Naomi C. Rose (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade, Award-Winning)

Asian Folktales Book Set 2

These folktales come from all over Asia to share timeless stories. Folktales come from Indonesia, Hmong people, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Go to Sleep, Gecko!: A Balinese Folktale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald (Age Range: 3-7 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten-2nd Grade, Lexile AD 430L, Award-Winning)
• The Great Race retold by Nathan Kumar Scott (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten-2nd grade, Award-Winning)
• Nine-in-One Grr! Grr! told by Blia Xiong with adaptations by Cathy Spagnoli (Age Range: 4-10 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten-6th Grade, Lexile 470L, Award-Winning)
• The Umbrella Thief written and illustrated by Sybil Wettasinghe (Age Range: 3-8 years old, Grade Level: Kindergarten-3rd grade, Award-Winning)
• Mongolian Folktales retold by Dashdondog Jamba and Borolzoi Dashdondog (Age Range: 7 years and up, Grade Level: 1st grade and up, Award-Winning)

Asian-American Literature Book Set 

This book set contains literature about Asian-Americans including Japanese-American, Pakistani-American, Korean-American, Filipino-American, and Karen-American. Some books are bilingual. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Grandfather’s Journey written and illustrated by Allen Say (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: 3rd grade and up, Lexile AD 650L, Award-Winning)
• Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan (Age Range: 3-5 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-4th grade, Lexile AD 410L, Award-Winning)
• My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: Kindergarten-2nd grade, Lexile 320L, Award-Winning)
• Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore (Age Range: 5-7 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten-3rd grade, Award-Winning)
• Filipino Friends by Liana Romulo (Age Range: 6-9 years old, Grade Level: 1st-3rd grade)
• Transplanting Traditions: The Story of a Community Farm by Karen Youth Art Group and FRANK Art Gallery in Chapel Hill, NC (Age Range: 7-10 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade)

Strong Asian Girls in History Book Set 

This book set includes stories about Ling, a girl living through the Cultural Revolution in China; Malala, a girl fighting for women’s equal opportunity to go to school in Pakistan; and Há, a girl surviving the war in Vietnam and coming to America. The format of the books include a historical fiction, a biography, and a book written in verse. All books are inspired by true events. These books are all award-winning including Inside Out & Back Again that won the Newberry Honor Book Award and the National Book Award. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Dear Mrs. Naidu by Mathangi Subramanian (Age Range: 10-15 years old. Grade Level: 5th-8th grade; Award-Winning)
• Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine (Age Range: 10-14 years old, Grade Level: 4th-6th grade, Lexile 740L, Award-Winning)
• I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Reader’s Edition) by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick (Age Range: 10-14 years old; Grade Level: 5th grade and up, Lexile 830L, Award-Winning)
• Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lain (Age Range: 8-12 years old, Grade Level: 4th-6th grade, Lexile 800L, Award-Winning)
• Bombay Blues by Tanuja Desai Hidier (Age Range: 15 & up, Grade Level: 9th- 12th grade, Lexile HL790L, Award-Winning)

Children’s Literature from Asia Book Set 

These books contain stories from Bangladesh, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Mongolia. The books serve as introduction to these countries with whimsical tales. Search by this title on the website. Books include:

• Yasmin’s Hammer by Ann Malaspina (Age Range: 6-11 years old, Grade Level: 1st-4th grade, Lexile AD 610L, Award-Winning)
• Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home by Youme (Age Range: 5-10 years old, Grade Level: 1st-4th Grade, Lexile AD 700L, Award-Winning)
• Peek! A Thai Hide-And-Seek by Minfong Ho (Age Range: 3-6 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten-Kindergarten)
• M is for Myanmar by Elizabeth Rush (Age Range: 5-9 years old, Grade Level: 1st-2nd grade, Lexile 900L)
• Kampung Boy written and illustrated by Lat (Age Level: 7-11 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade, Award-Winning)
• The Bee Tree by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn (Age Range: 7-11 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade, Lexile NC 1090L, Award-Winning)
• Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia written and illustrated by Ted and Betsy Lewin (Age Range: 9-10 years old, Grade Level: 1st-6th, Lexile 870L, Award-Winning)

Innovative Asian Thinkers Book Set

This book set is filled with innovative kids with an Asian background. Stories include Taiwanese-American girls who tries to fit in at American school, a Thai girl who wants to paint umbrellas, a Bengali boy who wants to find a tiger cub, a Bengali girl who disguises herself as a boy to paint rickshaws and a Bengali man who uses economic innovation to start a loan system. Books include:

• The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (Age Range: 8-12 years old, Grade Level: 3rd-5th grade, Lexile 690L, Award-Winning)
• Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas by Pauline Chen (Age Range: 8-12 years old, Grade Level: 4th-6th grade, Award-Winning)
• Silk Umbrellas by Carolyn Marsden (Age Range: 8-12 years old, Grade Level: 3rd-6th grade, Lexile 870L, Award-Winning)
• Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins (Age Range: 7-10 years old, Grade Level: 3rd-6th grade, Lexile 770L, Award-Winning)
• Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins (Age Range: 7-10 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-5th grade, Lexile 730L, Award-Winning)
• Twenty-Two Cents by Paula Yoo (Age Range 7-10 years old, Grade Level 2nd-6th grade; Lexile Score 1010L, Award-Winning)

Bilingual Asian Book Set

This bilingual book is fantastic for English as a Second Language Classrooms. This book set contains books in Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Nepali and Vietnamese from folk tales to historical fiction. Books include:

• My Ducky Buddy by Michael Smith (Age Range: 3-5 years old, Grade Level: all grade levels, Nepali/English, Award-Winning)
• Mei Ling in China City by Icy Smith (Age Range: 7-10 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade, Chinese/English, Award-Winning)
• Ma Me Mi MuMu! by Jomike Tejido (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: 1st-4th grade, Filipino/English, Award-Winning)
• The Tale of the Lucky Cat by Sunny Seki (Age Range: 5-10 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade, Japanese/English, Award-Winning)
• The Last Kappa of Old Japan by Sunny Seki (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten- 3rd grade, Japanese/English, Award-Winning)
• The Warrior Queens by Elka Ray (Age Range: 5-9 years old, Grade Level: 1st-4th grade, Vietnamese/English)
• 1,2,3, Vietnam by Elka Ray (Age Range: 3-6 years old, Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten- 2nd grade, Vietnamese/English)

Silk Road Book Set

This book set contains stories with a common theme around the Silk Road. The stories range from accounts of children and their experiences with the trade route, an illustrated book that traces the early history of the silk trade, and tales surrounding famous adventurers such as Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo.

*5 maps of Asia are included in the book set

• The Adventures of Marco Polo by Roger Smalley (Age Range: 8-14 years old, Grade Level: 3rd-4th grade)
• A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road by Bonnie Christensen (Age Range: 4-7 years old, Grade Level: Preschool-2nd grade)
• The Silk Route : 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major (Age Range 6-10 years old, Grade Level: 3rd-5th grade)
• The Amazing Travels of Ibn Battuta by Fatima Sharafeddine (Age Rance: 7-11 years old, Grade Level: 1st-6th grade)
• Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang (Age Range 8-12 years old, Grade Level: 2nd-6th grade)
• Night Sky Dragons by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham (Age Range: 4-8 years old, Grade Level: Preschool-3rd grade)

Asian and Asian American Children’s Literature on Food Book Set

This book set contains literature about Asian food and drink and the experiences of Asian-American children with learning the recipes, accepting their cultural differences, and enjoying quality time with their families. This includes Korean American, Chinese American, Vietnamese American, and Indian American experiences and food.

• Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park & illustrated by Ho Baek Lee (Age Range 4-7 years, Grade Level: Preschool-3rd Grade, Award-Winning)
• Dim Sum for Everyone! by Grace Lin (Age Range: 3-7 years, Grade Level: Preschool-2nd Grade, Lexile 0250L Award Winning)
• Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong & Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Age Range: 4-7 years, Grade Level: Preschool-3rd Grade, Award-Winning)
• Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules & illustrated by Kathryn Mitter (Age Range: 4-8 years, Grade Level: 1st-3rd Grade, Lexile AD 450L, Award-Winning)
• Hot Hot Roti for Dada-Ji by F. Zia & illustrated by Ken Min (Age Range: 4-8 years, Grade Level 1st-2nd Grade, Lexile 580L, Award Winning)

Available Film Sets

Japanese Animation Film Set

This film set contains a collection of movies directed by award winning, Japanese film director and co founder of Studio Ghibili, Hayao Miyazaki. His work champions progressive themes such as environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, love and family. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan. All the audio for the movies are available in English but can be modified to have Japanese or French audio or English, French or Spanish subtitles, depending on each movie. These movies can also be supplements in language classes such as French, Spanish, and Japanese for secondary level schooling.

• Ponyo by Hayao Miyazaki || Rated G (Release date: 14 August 2009 (USA), Running Time: 103 minutes)
• My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki || Rated G (Release date: 16 April 1988 (Japan), Running time: 100 minutes)
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki || Rated PG (Release date: 17 June 2005 (USA), Running time: 119 minutes)
• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki || Rated PG (Release date: 11 March 1984 (Japan), Running time: 117 minutes)
• Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki || Rated PG (Release date: 28 March 2003 (USA), Running time: 125 minutes)

Contemporary China Film Set

This film set includes a multifaceted look into China, ranging from an overlook of daily life in a Chinese family unit, folk art, the human cost of the country’s economic rise, and a democratic campaign in an elementary school in China. These subjects showcase a China that many have not seen before.

• Last Train Home || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2009, Running Time: 87 minutes)
• Families of China || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2010, Running Time: 30 minutes)
• Chinese Folk Art || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2006, Running Time: 360 minutes)
• Please Vote for Me || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2008, Running Time: 55 minutes)

Explore North Korea Film Set

This film set all revolve around the secrecy that envelops the most isolated country in the world, North Korea. These films include an insider look into a society completely dominated by government and dictatorship and relays personal accounts of North Korean refugees and more.

• Inside North Korea || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: March 20, 2007, Running Time: 52 minutes)
• A State of Mind || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: February 7, 2006, Running Time: 93 minutes)
• Seoul Train || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2006, Running Time: 54 minutes)

Japanese Legacy Film Set

This film set takes a look into the rich past of Japan ranging from the country’s historic past and to more contemporary tragedies that have befallen the mighty state. Through this set, students are able to learn about cultural aspects such as samurais, national treasures, architecture and the adversities the country faced such as World War II and the earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011.

• Secrets of the Samurai Sword || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: January 8, 2008, Running Time: 56 minutes)
• Living Treasures of Japan || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: December 8, 2010, Running Time: 60 minutes)
• Japan’s Killer Quake || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: May 24, 2011, Running Time: 60 minutes)
• Buildings and Legacy in Japan || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: September 25, 2007, Running Time: 126 minutes)
• Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005, Running Time: 180 minutes)
• Grave of the Fireflies || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: March 6, 2012, Running Time: 89 minutes)

Korean Culture Film Set

This film set looks into the culture of Korea as it melds tradition and modernity to create a unique identity that is able to retain its past while also maintaining a seat in the world stage. These films look into Korean martial arts, cuisine, religion, agriculture and a look into a typical day in a Korean family.

• The Way of Traditional Taekwondo || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 1997, Running Time: n/a)
• Families of Korea || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2001, Running Time: 30 minutes)
• Hidden Korea || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2013, Running Time: 60 minutes)

War and Korea Film Set

This film set delves in Korea and its participation in and the consequences of war. The films explores the Korean War, World War II and the Cold War and its effect on American, Korean, Japanese soldiers and civilians alike.

• Korean War in Color || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: September 25, 2007, Running Time: 208 minutes)
• Korea: The Forgotten War || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: May 25, 2010, Running Time: 313 minutes)
• My Way || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: July 24, 2012, Running Time: 137 minutes)

World Religions Film Set

This film set includes an overview of religions from all over the world such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism. These films help students witness how each religion have shaped cultures, changed history and left their mark on humanity.

• Religions of the World || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2003, Running Time: 50 minutes for each volume)
• Legacy of Peace: Christianity and Judaism || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: n/a, Running Time: 120 minutes)
• Islam Empire of Faith || Rated NR (DVD Release Date: 2005, Running Time: 180 minutes)