Hello Everyone.

Another year is coming to a close. This is our last newsletter for the year.

I’m probably running on Hawaii time again. For you that have been reading these newsletters for a long time, you’ll know what I mean. I’m late with the newsletter and you’re probably reading this in the next month unless you live in Hawaii.

This newsletter has taken me longer than I had planned. Researching the books for my year end Favorite Children’s Book of the Year article was more work than I expected. Please read it and make us believe that it was worth it.

At the very least, I’ll be better prepared to help you find books when you ask me for help. One thing for sure is that there are a lot of great books that we’ve been featuring in our newsletters. Our book selections are a great resource for anyone looking for AAPI books. Please tell your friends, teachers, and librarians.

For our other article, we feature an interview with Mina Harada Eimon. She’s just rereleased her wonderful folk tale book, “Why Cats Chase Mice.” It just in time for Shōgatsu, the Japanese New Year (January 1). We hope you enjoy the interview and the book.

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For our featured book selection this month, I’ve included a science book called “Your Place in the Universe” by Jason Chin. I was listening to the radio program “Science Friday” and they recommend this book. It reminded me that my first favorite subject in school was science and that for some of you and your kids, it could also be yours. I’ll try to keep this in mind for feature book selections.

The book “Astrid and Apollo and the Happy New Year” is another book in time, this time for the Hmong New Year’s celebration.

Amina’s Song and Shadow Life recently won the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Literature awards for Adult Fiction and Children’s literature, respectively.

Plus we have a selection of crafts and activities books that you may consider for holiday gift giving more making. Please check all of the wonderful books out.

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It’s time for my annual year end report and appeal for a donation.

This year we were able to go to ten events. Pre-pandemic, we were averaging over 30 events. We enjoyed meeting you all at these events, but what I’ve learned is that we’re spending much more time preparing for each of these events and doing it with fewer people than we did before. We passed up several event opportunities because of a lack of volunteer help this year. We truly could use your help.

If you have some time, if you are retired, or have some kids that may be interested in interning, we’d especially like to have your help.

For instance, we have a back log of books that need reviewing and newsletter articles that could be written. There are authors that are asking for our help. Just searching for books for our newsletter book selections could be of great service to us.

Please get in touch with us.

Back in January 2011 when the newsletter went on hiatus, we weren’t sure if we ever would have another newsletter. The pandemic gave us an opportunity to restart the newsletter because we had more time on our hands.

Now that we are going to events again, it may become necessary to stopping the newsletter once more. Without your volunteer help or generous donations it may come down to this. If you value this newsletter please let us know. Volunteer your time, donate, purchase some of the books we feature in our newsletters, click on the newsletter links, or at the very least give us your feedback.

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Thank you Florence, Mas, Susan, Philip, Mina, and everyone that has helped with the newsletter. Thank you everyone that has helped AACP.

Have a wonderful holiday season and stay tuned for our annual January poetry month featured newsletter. Send us a poem if you’d like.

Please take care and see you in the new year.

Bye.