Awards

Freeman Book Awards

Children’s Category Winners

2016

My Night in the Planetarium

My Night in the Planetarium

By Innosanto Nagara (Seven Stories Press)
Are You an Echo?

Are You an Echo?

By Misuzu Kaneko (Chin Music Press)

2017

The Crane Girl

The Crane Girl

By Curtis Manley, Illustrated by Lin Wang (Shen’s Books)
An’s Seed

An’s Seed

By Zaozao Wang, illustrated by Li Huang, translated by Helen Wang (Candied Plums; Bilingual edition)
Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet

Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet

By Sanae Ishida (Little Bigfoot)
My First Book of Vietnamese Words

My First Book of Vietnamese Words

By Tran Thi Minh Phuoc, illustrated by Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong (Tuttle Publishing; Bilingual edition)

2018

Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean

Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean

By Sigrid Schmalzer, Illustrated by Melanie Linden Chan (Tilbury House Nature Books)
The Turtle Ship

The Turtle Ship

By Helena Ku Rhee, Illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage (Shen’s Books/Lee & Low Books)
Confucius: Great Teacher of China

Confucius: Great Teacher of China

By Demi (Lee & Low Books)
Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot’s World War II Story

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot’s World War II Story

By Marc Tyler Nobleman, Illustrated by Melissa Iwai (Clarion Books)
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder

My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder

By Nie Jun, Translated by Edward Gauvin (Lerner Books)

2019

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden

By Heather Smith, Illustrated byRachel Wada (Orca Book Publisher)
Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando

Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando

By Andrea Wang, Illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz (Little Bee Books)
The Moose of Ewenki

The Moose of Ewenki

By Gerelchimeg Blackcrane, Illustrated by Jiu Er (Greystone Books)
When Spring Comes to the DMZ

When Spring Comes to the DMZ

By Uk-Bae Lee (Plough Publishing House)

2020

No Steps Behind:Beate Sirota Gordon’s Battle for Women’s Rights in Japan

No Steps Behind: Beate Sirota Gordon’s Battle for Women’s Rights in Japan

By Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Shiella Witanto (Creston Books)
A Bowl of Peace: A True Story

A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story

By Caren Stelson, Illustrated by Akira Kusaka (Carolrhoda Books)
Rice

Rice

By Hongcheng Yu (Reycraft Books)
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story

The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story

By Tina Cho, Illustrated by Jess X. Snow (Kokila Press)

2021

The Floating Field

The Floating Field

By Scott Riley, Illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien (Millbrook Press)
Saving Sorya Chang and the Sun Bear

Saving Sorya Chang and the Sun Bear

By Trang Nguyen, Illustrated by Jeet Zdung (Dial Books)
The Star Festival

The Star Festival

By Moni Ritchie Hadley, Illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa (Albert Whitman)

2022

Eighteen Vats of Water

Ji-Li Jiang, Illustrated by Nadia Hsieh (Creston Books)

Alone Like Me

Rebecca Evans (Anne Schwartz Books)

When the Sakura Bloom

Narisa Togo (Berbay Publishing)

Nana, Nenek & Nina

Liza Ferneyhough, Illustrated by Liza Ferneyhough (Dial Books)

Operation Pangolin: Saving the World’s Only Scaled Mammal

Suzi Eszterhas, Photographs by Suzi Eszterhas (Millbrook Press)

Warrior Princess: The Story of Khutulun

Sally Deng (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

2023

My Grandfather’s Song

Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên
(Make Me a World)

Masked Hero: How Wu Lien-Teh Invented the Mask That Ended an Epidemic

Shan Woo Liu and Kaili Liu Gormley; illustrated by Lisa Wee
(MIT Kids Press)

Maria Orosa Freedom Fighter: Scientist and Inventor from the Philippines

Norma Olizon-Chikiamco; illustrated by Mark Salvatu
(Tuttle Publishing)

Boys Don’t Fry

Kimberly Lee; illustrated by Charlene Chua
(Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group)

Kozo the Sparrow

Allen Say
(Clarion Books)

Mai and the Missing Melon

Sonoko Sakai; illustrated by Keiko Brodeur
(Bala Kids)

Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story

Yukie Kimura, Kōdo Kimura and Steve Sheinkin; illustrated by Kōdo Kimura
(Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group)

Explore Award Winners by Year

Explore Award Winners by Age Group

Children’s Young Adult / Middle Young Adult / High Graphic Novels
About the awards

Honoring East And Southeast Asian Titles for Children and Young Adults

National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Committee on Teaching about Asia (CTA) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and Asia for Educators (AFE) at Columbia University sponsor the annual Freeman Book Awards for new young adult and children’s literature. The awards recognize quality books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to an understanding of East and Southeast Asia. Awards are given in two categories: Children’s and Young Adult on the several countries of East and Southeast Asia.

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