Book Review: Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism

The term Asian American covers a huge number of people from different nations, cultural backgrounds, languages and food traditions. While we might think of Chinese, Japanese and Korean people first, it also encompasses native Hawaiians and people from the Pacific Islands, people from India and Southeast Asia to name a few.

All of those places and traditions come with different histories, stereotypes and struggles, and young people in the Asian American community can have difficulties understanding their history in this country (since it still often isn’t taught), how they fit with other Asian Americans and what that identity means to them.

Artist and writer Kristina Wong (along with Theodore Chao, Anna Michelle Wang and Jenessa Joffe) encourages young people to learn about their cultural history, get involved with Asian American groups in their community and find their place in the community whether as an activist, an artist or simply someone who knows where they came from and why they should be proud of that.

Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism is written in the voice of Auntie Kristina, Wong’s character in Radical Cram School, a web series about Asian American history and activism. The book covers topics like defining the community, learning history, telling your story, intersectionality, allyship, being a leader and a global citizen, as well as self-care for young (and older!) activists.

Each chapter includes profiles of young rebels and “auntie heroes,” a creative project and a STEM themed project, a call to action, writing prompts for your diary-ah and a fun drawn patch to commemorate what you’ve learned.

The book doesn’t take itself too seriously and works hard to draw young people in, with discussions presented as text messages, colorful illustrations and hands on projects, as well as encouragement to start where you are rather than trying to take on the whole world at once. And while the book centers Asian American rebels, history and lived experiences, this book would be a good read for allies and those in other marginalized groups to think about how they relate to their own histories and what they would like to change in the world.

This would be a great one for school libraries and for teachers of kids in this age group (the target audience is 10-14 but I think older kids might like it, too) to consider classroom activities for AAPI month (that’s May!) or any other time you want to work on projects centering social change and how kids can change the world.

About the book: 236 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Beaming Books. Suggested retail price $19.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

France is a country in Europe that’s officially the French Republic, but it also has overseas regions and territories include French Guiana, the French West Indies and islands in the North Atlantic, Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Let’s learn more about France!

France Basics

France is the largest country in western Europe. Its 18 integral regions, five of which are overseas, combine to make an area of 244,288 square miles, or 632,702 square kilometers, with a population of more than 69 million. The mainland borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain.

Paris is the capital and largest city, as well as the cultural center of the country. About 2 million people live in Paris, which was originally inhabited by the Parisii people as early as the third century BC. The oldest evidence of humans in what’s now known as France is from about 1.8 million years ago.

Neanderthals once lived there, but were replaced by Homo sapiens around 35,000 BC. France is where some of the oldest cave paintings have been found. Because of its long history and rich culture, France is known as a leader in art, food, philosophy, fashion and more throughout history.

The official language is French, and about half of French people identify as Christian.

The government is a semi-presidential republic, with both a president and prime minister, as well as parliament.

The word France comes from Latin, in which the region was referred to as Francia, “realm of the Franks.” It’s unclear where the term Franks came from.

France National Symbols

The French flag features blue, white and red vertical bars. The design was adopted during the French Revolution and has been used ever since (that’s more than 230 years!).

The national anthem, known as La Marseillaise (or “The Song of Marseille”) was adopted in 1795.

The motto of France comes from around the same time, with liberté, égalité, fraternité (liberty, equality, fraternity) showing up in speeches and propaganda starting in the 1970s.

The fleur de lis, a heraldic symbol meant to symbolize a lily, is still considered a symbol of France, as it was used on the traditional coat of arms for the country and still represents it on the coats of arms of Spain, Canada and Quebec, and is featured in the coat of arms of Paris.

Marianne is considered the personification of France, and was chosen during the French Revolution as a symbol of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason. She typically wears a Phrygian cap, which was originally worn by emancipated slaves in Greece and Rome and is considered a symbol of freedom.

The rooster is also considered a symbol of France because the Gauls used to live in what’s now France, and in Latin the same word means rooster and Gaul.

France Activities for Kids

Learn to draw a fleur de lis with this video tutorial from Draw Stuff Real Easy.

Learn more about the Lascaux cave paintings and make your own cave painting inspired art. The Natural Homeschool has some images of cave paintings you can download, and Deceptively Educational has printable templates you can trace to make your own cave painting style art.

Take a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, classic landmarks of Paris. You can also look at online tours from the Louvre.

Learn the history of the Notre Dame Cathedral, or take a trip through history at the Palace of Versailles.

Because there’s so much history and culture in France there are a ton of landmarks and historical sites you can talk about depending on the interests of your kids. Grab a learning pack for kids from Proverbial Homemaker.

Learn to count to 10 in French (they have lots of other basic French videos, too) with help from Blabber Beasts.

Check out more resources for learning about France from Teachers Pay Teachers.

There’s lots of fun food from France, too, which you can sample or make for yourself, from baguettes and croissants to crepes, quiche and fondue. Some say pot-au-feu is the national dish, but I don’t think there’s an official one. It is the French version of pot roast, beef with vegetables. You can find a recipe at Serious Eats.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

France Basics

France Activities for Kids

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