French teachers – are you looking to update your classroom library with engaging French picture books with Asian characters? As French teachers in Canada, we understand the power of representation in the classroom. French picture books with Asian characters are invaluable resources for fostering cultural awareness and celebrating diversity.

Today, I’m thrilled to introduce a curated selection of French picture books featuring Asian characters. Whether you’re seeking resources for Asian Heritage Month in Canada or simply looking to diversify your classroom library, these books offer a rich tapestry of stories that reflect the experiences and identities of diverse Asian individuals and stories.

Moreover, in 2020, many French teachers committed to diversifying their bookshelves. Consequently, teachers unpacked the role that diverse picture books play in providing mirrors and windows and eventually becoming sliding glass doors, for all of our students. 

This blog post is the third in a series where I share my favourite French picture books with characters with diverse identities. The first blog post featured French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters. I have also written a similar blog post with French picture book recommendations with Black characters.

Where should you purchase these French picture books from?

I really encourage you to purchase from your local independent bookstores. One of my favourite bookstores is located a block away from my school.

I will be linking all of these books through Les Libraires which is an independent bookstore in Québec.

Who writes the stories? #ownvoices

I am a South Asian woman who was born and raised in Canada. I never got to read stories about my culture written by people who looked like me until I was in my twenties.

This has got to change!

On my platforms, I choose to share books written by #ownvoices. If you are interested in learning more about own voices, please do read this important blog post by Little Feminist explaining what it is and why it’s important.

I have tried to exclusively share French picture books with Asian characters written by Asian authors.

Which Asian countries are represented in these French picture books?

I’ve tried my absolute best to represent diverse Asians in this blog post. However, my efforts are limited in terms of what is out there. However, since 2020 publishers have released so many diverse French picture books with Asian characters.

I will continue to update this blog post as new French picture books with diverse Asian characters are released.

Mon bindi – Gita Varadarajan & Archana Sreenivasan

In Mon Bindi, we meet Divya. Divya’s amma wears a bindi every day. In the Hindu religion, girls and women wear bindis. The bindi symbolizes a third eye and offers protection to the wearer from evil. Throughout the story, we discover that Divya wishes to wear a bindi to school, but she worries that her peers might mock her.

Despite her concerns, Divya chooses to wear a bindi to school. The reactions of her classmates and her teacher, Ms. Gonzalez, validate Divya and her decision to proudly wear her bindi to school!

Final opinion: This book moved me to tears. The opportunity for young girls to read a picture book like Mon Bindi and see themselves represented in such a heartwarming story? Priceless.

Themes: Hinduism, identity, embracing one’s heritage, family

French level: high-novice. It’s entirely in present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie – Danny Ramadan & Anna Bron

This story takes place in Vancouver, Canada. Salma and her mom reside in a refugee shelter in Vancouver, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Salma’s baba.

Salma notices that her mother no longer laughs. Determined to bring joy to her, Salma decides to prepare one of her favorite Syrian dishes, Foul shami.

Salma embarks on a grand adventure to cook her favorite Syrian dish, but it’s not without its challenges. She encounters numerous obstacles that nearly derail her culinary efforts.

Fortunately, the generosity and kindness of everyone at the shelter ultimately assist her in completing her dish just in time for dinner.

Themes: culture shock, allusions to depression as a result of war, kindness, generosity

Level of French: high intermediate. It’s almost entirely in present tense, however, there is very little repetition of vocabulary which might make it challenging.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le plus beau des Aïds – Zeba Talkhani et Abeeha Tariq

Eid, or aïd en français, is the celebration that occurs follows Ramadan. In this book, we meet little Safa who is beyond excited about Eid!

Throughout the book, we explore the traditions and customs Safa and her family observe during Eid.

These traditions include wearing new clothes, adorning one’s hands with henna, gathering with family, praying, and much more!

At the end of the book, Safa learns that a significant aspect of Eid is the act of giving selflessly. Consequently, Safa and her mom distribute sweets and gifts to all of their (very diverse!!) neighbours.

In my opinion, every single classroom in Canada needs to have this book. Children need to be exposed to celebrations other than Christmas since our classrooms are very diverse places.

Themes: celebrations, Eid, traditions, and customs

French level: high novice. Present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Mamie Coton compte les moutons – Liao Xiaoqin et Zhu Chengliang

Mamie Coton compte les moutons tells the tale of Mamie Coton, who struggles to fall asleep one night.

Despite trying to count sheep, Mamie Coton finds no success. Then, she remembers she forgot to bring the chrysanthemums back inside. After rectifying her mistake, she returns to bed and attempts to count sheep once more.

Yet again, this method proves unsuccessful. Mamie Coton decides to take a brief stroll around the neighborhood. Upon her return, she discovers that Papi Coton has come back from visiting family.

During her sleepless night, Mamie Coton engages in a variety of selfless acts of service for people objects, animals, and people.

Mamie Coton compte les moutons is a heartwarming story about small acts of selfless love for others.

Themes: acts of love, kindness

French level: intermediate. It has a lot of vocabulary that students won’t be familiar with and may need to be pre-taught. It’s written all in present tense.

About the book: A French original from the French publishing company (Hongfei-Cultures)’s collection Vent d’Asie

Sous le bleu de ciel – Aghdas Sekhavat et Denise Paquette

In Sous le bleu de ciel, we meet la Petite-Neige, a white cat living with a Persian family in Iran.

Petite-Neige and her owner Sanaz must leave Iran for Canada. Sous le bleu de ciel tells the story of immigration from the perspective of Petite-Neige, the owner’s pet.

Through Petite-Neige’s perspective, we glimpse Sanaz’s life before immigration and witness the fears and uncertainty Petite-Neige experiences during the journey to Canada. Petite-Neige also undergoes culture shock, noticing the myriad ways in which life in Canada differs from life in Iran.

Final opinion: the story is really well-written. It’s interesting to read about immigration through the perspective of a pet. However, if you’re looking to shed light on the human experience of immigration, this book isn’t it. That being said, I think Sous le bleu de ciel is still a very engaging and fascinating read for the French classroom!

I absolutely LOVE the vibrant illustrations in this book.

Themes: immigration

French level: advanced. It is text-heavy, however, the story is broken down into sections. You don’t have to read it all in one day.

The story is written in passé composé and imparfait. This is a GREAT French picture book if you are trying to expose your students to passé composé and imparfait in authentic texts.

About the book: A French original (l’Édition de la Francophonie)

Dix petits dumplings – Larissa Fan & Cindy Wume

Les Dix Petits Dumplings tells the tale of a family with 10 sons. Since the beginning, these sons have been affectionately referred to as “dumplings,” not only because of their physical resemblance to dumplings but also because dumplings symbolize luck and prosperity.

Throughout the story, we witness the brothers living their lives in their village, where they are adored and cherished by the entire community.

Towards the end of the story, we learn that the sister of the 10 brothers is recounting the story.

This is a true story based on the author Larissa Fan’s story.

Themes: family, cultural/societal norms

French level: novice (some scaffolding will be needed but it’s doable). Short sentences, some sentences using participe présent and a few at the end with imparfait. However, it’s one line per page so it’s very comprehensible.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le plus beau Diwali – Sonali Shah & Chaaya Prabhat

In Le plus beau Diwali, we meet the main character who is eagerly anticipating celebrating Diwali this year.

Ariana is excited to make Indian desserts, wear her brand-new outfit, and go to the mandir. However, her three-year-old brother Rafi ruins it all!

He spills flour all over the floor and destroys her brand-new outfit!

Ariana is especially looking forward to participating in the rangoli contest, for which she has been preparing for weeks. Unfortunately, her brother accidentally ruins her design. Fortunately, both the judge and the audience are impressed with the result, and Ariana ultimately wins first place!

At the end of the story, Ariana realizes that life wouldn’t be the same without her little brother.

This is a heartwarming story of family and Diwali.

Themes: family, Diwali, siblings

French level: low-intermediate. All in present tense, some futur proche.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Des bisous au coin des yeux – Johanna Ho & Dung Ho

Des bisous au coin des yeux is a heartwarming tale. In this story, the main character, a young girl, takes pride in the shape of her eyes. To her, the shape of her eyes represents the strength and love passed down from her mom, grandma, and ancestors.

Themes: self-acceptance

French level: low-intermediate. Mostly in present tense. Tons of repetition.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

L’énorme appétit de Doña Esmeralda – Melissa de la Cruz & Primo Gallanosa

So I do this thing where I regularly stalk my favourite book store for new French picture books. When I saw that this one was released – a French picture book by a Filipina author – I I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Let’s dive into it.

“L’énorme appétit de Doña Esmeralda” tells the tale of a very, very, very old lady with an insatiable appetite. Doña Esmeralda eagerly awaits children saying, “je ne veux pas manger ça” so she can appear and feast on their leftovers! The twist? Doña Esmeralda can only eat leftovers.

But what happens when children finish all their food and leave nothing on their plates? Doña Esmeralda finds herself facing a situation she’s never encountered before!

Melissa De La Cruz drew inspiration for this story from a similar Filipino tale her parents read to her during her childhood. She also wanted to pay homage to all the delicious foods she enjoyed while growing up.

Final opinion: This one was so fun to read! It reminds me so much of Robert Munsch books!

Themes: food, family, cultural tales

French level: advanced. There’s a variety of tenses from present, imparfait to passé simple.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Grand-papa Grognon – Katrina Moore & Xindi Yan

At the very beginning of Grand-papa Grognon, we meet Daisy who is really excited to spend time with her Yeh-Yeh (her paternal grandfather).

When Yeh-Yeh arrives, she realizes he is different from the last time she saw him.

Daisy’s mom tells her that Yeh-Yeh is showing his love to Daisy in different ways. Daisy realizes that’s what she needs to do as well. She needs to show Yeh-Yeh her love in ways he understands.

Final opinion: It can be very challenging for children to see how much their grandparents change with age and/or illness. I think this is a very sweet story about the different ways we show love to loved ones as they change.

Themes: family, aging elder, language barrier between generations

French level: intermediate. Mostly in present tense.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

Le Diwali de Binny – Thrity Umrigar & Nidhi Chanani

Binny wakes up one morning, bursting with excitement. Today, she gets to talk about Diwali with her classmates.

With Diwali approaching, Binny eagerly shares with her classmates the various traditions and customs her family observes during this festive time.

Binny enthusiastically recounts to her classmates what Diwali means to her and why it’s her favourite celebration.

French level: intermediate.

About the book: A French translation of an English original

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French picture books are an incredible tool to use in the Core French and/or French Immersion classroom. Particularly since 2020, teachers have recognized the role that diverse picture books play in providing mirrors and windows, and eventually sliding glass doors, for all of our students. Today I am sharing with you French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters. This blog post is the first in a series where I share some of my favourite French picture books with diverse characters.

Dear French publishers – this isn’t good enough

This blog post is very short and I am incredibly saddened by it. I have searched for French picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters for a very long time. I am talking about years.

There are dozens and dozens of incredible books that are coming out in English with Muslim and/or Arab characters. These books, written by Muslim authors, are not just about trauma and war. As a matter of fact, they often have to do with celebratory messages and stories that Muslims and non-Muslims alike need to be exposed to.

The stories that tend to be translated into French are almost always about war and trauma. These stories are also incredibly important. However, only publishing picture books about war and trauma paints the false (and dangerous) narrative that the Muslim and Arab world only have one story – that of tragedy.

Since the death of George Floyd in 2020, there has been a lot of effort to ensure that there are diverse French picture books being published. There has been a ton of progress. However, we fall VERY short when it comes to French picture books with Muslim characters and Muslim representation.

Disclosure #2 – the Muslim world is very diverse

Before we proceed with this blog post, please understand that the Muslim world is incredibly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, language, culture, and more. There is no single French picture book that could represent that diversity.

I am a South Asian woman who is friends with, and have always been friends with, Muslims from all over the world. I am very well aware of the diversity.

My dream is that this blog post will soon have French picture books with representation of a very diverse Muslim world.

Also, please note that I am fully aware that not all Muslims are Arab and not all Arabs are Muslim. I fully understand that there is so much diversity within the Muslim and/or Arab world.

I will continue to update this blog post with new French picture books with Muslim characters as they become available.

Do you have recommendations of French picture books with Muslim characters?

If you know of French picture books or graphic novels that exist out there with Muslim and/or Arab representation, please DO leave me a comment below! I’d love to add more French picture books to this blog post.

We need to explicitly counter dangerous stereotypes of Muslims and Arab people

Look, the Western world has carefully constructed the very dangerous narrative that Muslims are terrorists, especially Muslim men. The classroom is a radical environment in which we must deconstruct these narratives and humanize the Muslim world.

In the 21st Century, the West has also normalized the pain and suffering that Muslims have been forced to experience. If we are sharing stories of war and tragedy in our classroom, we must balance the narrative by also sharing stories of joy.

Muslim children deserve to live and experience joy and happiness. End of story.

Where should you buy these French picture books from?

I really encourage you to purchase from your local independent bookstores. One of my favourite bookstores is located a block away from my school.

I will be linking all of these books through Les Libraires which is an independent bookstore in Québec.

Zaha Hadid par María Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustré par Asun Amar

Zaha Hadid is the true story of a little girl from Iraq who knew she wanted to be an architect at the age of 11.

When Zaha was a little girl, she loved both art and math. She loved exploring with unique shapes and forms to create unique art.

Zaha’s story is an inspiring story of a woman who broke through the glass ceiling. In 2004, Hadid not only became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, but she was also the first Muslim woman to win such a prize.

Themes: art, math, careers, women’s history

Year published: 2019

French level: Intermediate. mostly in passé composé/imparfait

Le plus beau des Aïds par Zeba Talkhani et Abeeha Tariq

Eid, or aïd en français, is the celebration that occurs post-Ramadan. In this book, we meet little Safa who is beyond excited about Eid!

In this book, we learn all about the traditions and customs that Safa and her family partake in on Eid.

Traditions include wearing new clothes, decorating one’s hands with henna, getting together with family, praying, and so much more!

Safa learns at the end of the book that a really important part of Eid is the act of giving selflessly. Thus, Safa and her mom take sweets and gifts to all of their (very diverse!!) neighbours.

In my opinion, every single classroom in Canada needs to have this book. Children need to be exposed to celebrations other than Christmas since our classrooms are very diverse places.

Themes: celebrations, Eid, traditions, and customs

Year published: 2022

French level: high novice. Present tense.

Le Bibliobus by Bahram Rahman, illustrations by Gabrielle Grimard

In Bibliobus, we meet Pari and her mom who are Afghan. Pari and her mom live in a rural Afghan village nestled in the mountains. They live a short drive away from a UNHCR refugee camp.

Pari’s mom drives the Bibliobus to the refugee camp every day to ensure that the girls who live at the camp have access to free books.

Pari’s mom teaches her daughter about the importance of being educated and how their liberty (from war and violence) is intricately connected to their education.

Themes: education and the importance of access to education, girls and women’s rights

Year published: 2020

French level: high novice to intermediate French

While the story is evidently set during the United States’ war on Afghanistan post-9/11, there is no outright mention of violence and war. The author subtly alludes to the consequences of this war, such as the illustrations of the UNHCR refugee camp. As such, this story is suitable for elementary years.

Most importantly, this story is about courage, perseverance, and the heroism of Afghan teachers.

Dounia by Marya Zarif

Le Monde de Dounia takes place in Aleppo, Syria. Dounia is our main character. In the beginning of the story, we see what Aleppo was like before the Syrian war.

We see and learn about the beautiful streets and historical landmarks.

Then, the first bombs begin to fall on Aleppo and we see the world beginning to crumble around Dounia and her family.

Dounia, her grandmother, and her grandfather embark on a dangerous journey seeking shelter and safety. Upon their arrival in Greece, they are treated poorly by the soldiers.

Eventually, Dounia and her grandparents arrive in a wintery Canada and are finally safe.

Themes: Syrian war, the challenges refugees face on their journey

Year of publication: 2021

French level: high novice (all in present tense)

Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie by Danny Ramadan, illustrations by Anna Bron

This story is set in Vancouver, Canada. Salma and her mom live in a shelter for refugees in Vancouver awaiting the arrival of Salma’s baba.

Salma notices that her mother no longer laughs. She decides that she is going to make one of her favourite Syrian dishes Foul shami in order to make her mom smile.

Salma embarks on a grand adventure to make her favourite Syrian dish. However, it’s not easy. She stumbles upon many obstacles that almost prevent her from making her dish.

The generosity and kindness of every individual at the shelter eventually help her finish her dish just in time for dinner.

Themes: culture shock, allusions to depression as a result of war, kindness, generosity

Year published: 2020

Level of French: high intermediate. It’s almost entirely in present tense, however, there is very little repetition of vocabulary which might make it challenging.

Just like Bibliobus, Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie alludes to war, but there are no explicit statements. Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie is about the culture shock, PTSD, and transition children who are refugees have to experience.

Salma’s story is beautifully written as it gives the reader an inside perspective on some of the feelings and experiences that children who are Syrian refugees may be experiencing.

I will be honest – I cried my eyes out in the last quarter of the book and at the simple, but heartwarming ending.

In my opinion Salma et les saveurs de la Syrie is a must-read.

Bonus : Le courage d’Amal

Here’s a novel recommendation for French Immersion teachers looking for a diverse French read-aloud option.

Le courage d’Amal is about 12-year-old Amal. Amal lives in a rural village in Pakistan. She is the eldest in her family and adores her sisters.

You’ll probably have stereotypes of Pakistan in your head because of the mainstream media. However, it’s worth noting that the family is middle class, like most of her village. Life for this family and community is simple, but they’re all happy.

Amal loves to read, learn, and go to school. In fact, it’s everything she dreams of doing. Amal dreams of being a teacher so that she can pass on her love and passion for education to others.

However, an event at the village market changes the course of Amal’s life. Because of this event, Amal discovers that a small group has the most power in the community. This group’s power comes from wealth.

Subsequently, Amal leaves her family to become a maid for the richest and most powerful family in the village.

What follows is a chain of unjust events. Amal discovers that she must find the courage to face up to the injustices of powerful and dangerous characters.

Themes: girls and women’s rights, social classes, activism, bravery

Year published: 2018

Did you find this blog post on French picture books with Muslim characters useful?

If you have found this blog post on French picture books with Muslim characters useful, please do leave a comment below.

Let me know which of these French picture books you intend to use in the classroom. If you have recommendations of French picture books with Muslim characters not listed in this blog post, please do let me know below!

In solidarity,

Pav

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