​Angel Island Immigration Books and Resources K-12

Primary Grades
 
Because the Angel Island books are for upper elementary grades,  we are listing some immigration books for the primary grades.
 
Choi, Yangsook. The Name Jar. 2008. A Korean immigrant girl has to decide on a name in her new classroom. Grades PreK-1
 
O’Brien, Anne Sibley.  I'm New Here. 2015. Immigrants from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia find their way in a kindergarten classroom.  A companion book is Someone New from the point of view of their classmates who are not immigrants. Grades PreK-1
 
Recorvits, Helen and Gabi Swiatkowska. My Name is Yoon. 2003.  A Korean girl struggles with writing her name in English. Grades PreK-2
 
Ringgold, Faith. We Came to America. 2016. The author illustrated her poem about the different ways people came to this country.  Grades K-2, but also good for upper grades. 
 
Yang, Belle.  Hannah is My Name. 2004. A Taiwanese immigrant girl and her family have fears about working without a green card. Grades K-2
 
<www.youtube.cm/watch?v=5rz5whByOts> Elementary school students will enjoy this short Youtube clip of Tyrus Wong’s life, his ordeal on Angel Island, and his joy in making kites.
 
Collier, Irene Dea. “Why Did the Chinese Leave China?” from Chinese Americans, Past and Present.  1977. Grades 2-4
 
Upper Elementary Grades 
Cobblestone Angel Island Edition. February 2016.  A true account of the Louie family’s experience on Angel Island.  https://shop.cricketmedia.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=February+2016 Grades 4-6
 
Currier, Katrina Saltonstall and Baghor Utomo. Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain: An Angel Island Story. 2005.  A boy takes a sea journey to join his father in the U.S. Grades 3-5
 
Ding, Loni.  Island of Secret Memories. 1988. A boy remembers his grandfather’s story about his imprisonment on Angel Island and touches upon feelings of being excluded. 20 min. Grades 3-5
 
James, Helen Foster and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh. Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America. Illustrated by Wilson Ong. 2013. A boy uses an assumed identity to enter the U.S. Grades 3-5
 
Lee, Milly and Yangsook Choi. Landed. 2006. The author based the story on her family’s ordeal upon entry. Grades 3-5
 
TACT Angel Island Power Point. Elementary Version is available on the flash drive and on Google: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p5b7wK3xzdzFaMy1ktVoGAhrQ2xbcS1x
 
 
Wong, Don. “No. 127, San Francisco, Okay” from Chinese Americans, Past and Present.  1977. Grades 4-5
 
Middle School 
Wong, Li Keng. Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain. 2006. A teacher’s memoirs of her experiences in China, Angel Island, and the U.S. in the 1930s.  Chapters from her book can be found at <http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/angel_island/>
 
Yep, Laurence, and Kathleen S. Yep. The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island. HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. The authors fictionalized their family’s Angel Island interrogation.
 
Non fiction 
Freedman, Russell. Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain. 2013. 
 
TACT Angel Island:  Middle and Senior High School Version:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p5b7wK3xzdzFaMy1ktVoGAhrQ2xbcS1x
 
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation < https://aiisf.org/education/resources/curriculum-guide>  Interviews and resources about the many groups that passed through Angel Island.
 
High School 
Goh, Teow Lim. Islanders. Conundrum Press, 2016.  Imagined poems of women on Angel Island.
 
Lai, Him Mark,  and Genny Lim, Judy Yung.  Island:  Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island 1910-1940.  Angel Island poems are presented in a bilingual format
 
Lee, Erika, and Judy Yung.  Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America. This scholarly book also includes other immigrant groups who passed through Angel Island.
 
Lowe, Felicia.  Carved in Sllence. Re-enactment, recitation of poems, interviews. 45 minutes.
 
Wong, Tyrus and Michael Labrie. Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong. 2013. This book shows the art work and life of an artist who was once detained at Angel Island.
 
American Masters: Tyrus.  Tyrus Wong is featured in this excellent film by Pamela Tom.  It has been shown on the PBS series.
 
<http://sfbay.aspireforjustice.org/about-us-2/our-people > Asian American youth are also affected by DACA.  This website has clips of their personal stories.
 
 
Recommended  K-12 Readings and Resources: 
The Association of Chinese Teachers (TACT) <tactsf.org>
 
On Google
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p5b7wK3xzdzFaMy1ktVoGAhrQ2xbcS1x