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.

We’ve gotten to the point in summer where I live where I spend a lot of time thinking about ice cream. While I’m trying to avoid eating ice cream daily as a way to beat the heat, let’s take a look at some ice cream themed crafts we can make instead.

And don’t miss these learning activities with an ice cream theme if you need more ideas.

One of the links in that post was to this cute puffy paint ice cream cone craft from Crafty Morning, which deserves more attention because it’s super cute and this version of puffy paint is easy to make and sensory fun for kids. They also have this cute handprint ice cream cone craft that’s super sweet for little kids to make.

You can use everyday materials of all sorts to make your ice cream cones. For example, you can use a sponge and pompom or cotton balls like stamps as in this craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

Or use a potato to make the top of the cone like this one from Made to be a Momma.

Make your ice cream from a doily, like this one from Crafts on Sea, which is also embellished with pompoms for sprinkles. I Heart Crafty Things has a similar project done with a cupcake liner instead of a doily.

Or try using cotton pads, which can then be decorated with watercolors, as shown in this tutorial from Happy Toddler Playtime. You could do the same thing with cotton balls if you don’t have cotton pads handy.

Cut a paper plate into a cone shape and have kids decorate it with this craft idea from Easy Peasy and Fun. One of hers shows using real sprinkles to decorate the ice cream, which is a great idea if you’ve got some old sprinkles lurking in the pantry. Or you can just draw on sprinkles or use other random things from around the house.

The Pinterested Parent has a printable for a mosaic ice cream cone craft, which is a fun way to use up bits of paper. You could also make it more of a collage with different kinds and colors of paper and different items to add to your ice cream.

Have you read?

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