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"Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country"

 Written by Kelly Yang                Illustrated by various artists 
   
        
Image Source: Penguin Random House
Kelly Yang, author of "Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country", talks about why she wanted to write this book in this video. Yang did not see anyone that looked like her writing books and the older she became the more Asian American change makers there were.
        The scope of the content covers 2 historical moments and 18 different Asian Americans that have made an impact of change. The first two spreads highlight the importance of the Chinese American immigrants that built the transcontinental railroad and the discrimination that Asian American immigrants faced. The writing style is very appropriate for young children. Each Asian American includes a very simplified one sentence biography which allows for the reader to hear a snippet about many Asian Americans while keeping a quick pace. The depth of the coverage is also appropriate for a young child audience.
        The content begins with Asian American immigrants coming to the United States. However, after that they appear to be in no particular order. Some of the change makers made similar marks on history and are paired together, for example Yo-Yo Ma and H.E.R. as musicians. Each spread is illustrated by a different Asian American or Asian artist and noted at the bottom of the spread. As each spread is created by a different artist there are many styles throughout this picture book. Helping to show the variety and richness that Asian Americans bring to our society everyday. The text is written in an easy to read font, with a slightly larger size for the younger child audience. The author's note in the back of the book provides more information about each moment or a longer biography about Asian American if you want to learn more. This informational picture book, is truly a celebration of Asian Americans and what they have done to help shape our culture and society. 


Yang, Kelly. Yes We Will. Illustrated by Obi H. Ali, Fahmida Azim, Marcos Chin, Sally Deng, Shreya Gupta, Julia Kuo, Julie Kwon, Nhung Le, Kitkat Person, Dow Phumiruk, Sujean Rim, Dan Santat, Yuko Shimizu, Yuewei Shi, Yao Xiao. Penguin Random House, 2022. 28 pages. TR. $15.19, ISBN 9780593463055.

Yang, Kelly. "Yes We Will Creators' Read Aloud Video." YouTube, uploaded by Kelly Yang, 30 May 2022,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzpzaKeiZnU.
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