CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.

< Back to booklist

The Yellow Ao Dai

by Hanh Bui

CCBC Review:

Naliah tries on her mother’s yellow áo dài (dress), embroidered with swans and water lilies, to practice the Fan Dance she’s going to perform at school. When she accidentally rips the dress, she hides it away in the closet. Then her mother gives Naliah a new yellow áo dài and tells the story of her own yellow dress—the one with swans and water lilies that her own mother, Naliah’s grandmother, wore to perform the Fan Dance back in Vietnam. Heartbroken, Naliah confesses, sure she’s ruined her Grandmother’s special dress. Naliah gets reassurance and a surprise from her mom—it turns out she ripped the dress when she was a little girl, too! Naliah’s grandmother added the water lilies to cover the rip that Naliah’s mother made, and now Naliah’s mother will embroider a frog to cover the new tear. Naliah’s brief worry and anxiety over the accidental tear is palpable and relatable, while the story of the dress’s history, and the resolution, are terrifically satisfying in this pleasing story paired with warm digital illustrations. ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center gran

Illustrated by Minnie Phan

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range: Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3) PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Asian Americans Clothing Forgiveness Grandmothers Guilt and Remorse Mothers Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklist: Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publishers: Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 36
ISBN: 9781250842060
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Bui

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.