MaiStoryBook Library

Asian American Book Inspired Crafts: Creativity and Body Positivity

by MaiStoryBook

Sharing with you two MaiStoryBook Book-Inspired Crafts featuring two of mai favorite *New Asian American Children’s Books.* Read and craft along as we explore the realm of dragons, combine two cultures, share body positivity, and love our bodies! Check it out below and get ready for some Bookish Fun!

Featuring:

Plus, for more Asian American book recs, check out MaiStoryBook’s Asian American Children’s Book Collection

And Read Along with MaiStoryBook’s Interactive Read Aloud Playlist featuring Asian American Children’s Books

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua

*Amy Wu* is back in this sweet follow up to “Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao.” A class project has all the kids designing their own dragons. But when Amy Wu creates a dragon modeled after Eastern dragons, the other kids don’t think it’s a *real* dragon. Amy tries to make a dragon that looks like her peers’, but it doesn’t feel like *her* dragon. After school Grandma’s stories spark an idea and Amy Wu enlists her family to help her with a special project~ to *patch* together a dragon that’s just right for her! 

This brightly illustrated children’s book is about navigating and combining two cultures~ and staying true to what feels right to you. Plus, there’s a whole lot of imagination, creativity, and glitter thrown into the mix as well!  (Add this Book to Your Library)

My Patchwork Dragon Craft

Check out MaiStoryBook’s Bookish Craft Inspired by the Story: Little learners will describe and draw what their very own dragon would look like, and share their own creative imaginings!

Materials

Directions

  • Choose a “Dragon” Downloadable template.
  • There are colored and black and white versions, and versions with scale patterns or plain skin (Also plain coloring pages option without the “cut-line”) 
  • If you chose the black and white version, color it in with your own scale design or colors.
  • Cut the Dragon template in half on the dotted line so that you have two pieces. The writing template will go in between the two pieces and attach them together. 
  • Next, choose a Writing template to describe what your dragon would look like. There arecolored text versions, or black and white versions. 
  • There are also different fill in template versions: 2 fill-in version with prompts to describe your dragon, prompts with a picture space, a version with empty lines ,a blank version for a picture or your own writing.
  • Fill in the template and then cut it out. **Keep the white side tabs on**
  • To connect the writing template to theDragon, tape the tabs to the back of the middle-insides. (the left tab attaches to the back of the right-side of the tail half, the right tab attaches to the back of the left-side of the head half. )
  • Fold the Dragon halves together so they touch to create a whole Dragon. Crease to fold the writing prompt flat underneath as well. 
  • The  Dragon should fold together to form a dragon body, and then unfold to “Stretch” out the dragon and reveal the writing prompt underneath. 

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Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand and Nabi H. Ali

Laxmi never paid attention to the little hairs above her lip, but when her friends tell her she’d make a *good cat* because of her *whiskers* on her face, Laxmi begins to notice hair all over her body. In front of the bathroom mirror, Laxmi is shocked to realize the hairs all over her arms, legs, and even in between her eyebrows! However, with her parents’ guidance, Laxmi learns that body hair is normal, and that it grows everywhere regardless of gender. A *Mooch*~ the hairs on your upper lip~ isn’t just for men; many women have mooches as well, and hair on other body parts as well. With a newfound pride in her body and body hair, Laxmi brings her new knowledge to school and encourages her peers to celebrate their own body hair too! (Add this Book to Your Library)

*My Mooch* Butterly Craft

Check out MaiStoryBook’s Bookish Craft Inspired by the Story: Encourage little learners to create their own *My Mooch* butterflies to accept and celebrate their own body hair and mooches.

Materials

Directions

  • Choose a Top-Butterfly Template
  • . There are colored or black-and-white versions. For both colored and black and white versions, there are different title formats: Blank, ”_____’s Mooch” in black block letters, “______’s Mooch” in white block letters,  “_______’s Mooch” in a white box.
  • Print out the Top-Butterfly Template. 
  • Write your name on the blank line, and color if you chose black and white. (Ex. “ ___Maya’s__ Mooch” Cut it out. )
  • Next, choose a Bottom-Butterfly Writing Template. There are colored or black-and-white versions. For both colored and black-and white versions, there are different writing template formats: Blank, Writing Prompt with all lines, Writing Prompt with lines and picture space)
  • Fill in the writing prompts by writing or drawing: 
  • “My Mooch is________”: choose an adjective to describe your mooch! (unique, amazing, curly, silky etc.) // “My Mooch makes me feel like a______”: Choose and animal that your mooch makes you feel like. For example, Laxmi’s mooch made her feel like a tiger, Zoe felt like a lion // “My mooch is this color”: What color is your mooch?
  • “This is me and my Mooch”: Draw a picture of you and your mooch
  • “I also have hair on these parts of my body”: Write or draw other parts of your body where you have body hair: between your eyebrows, arms, legs, back, head, belly
  • “These people have body hair too: draw or list people who also have body hair”: Frida Kahlo, other people in class, your teacher, research famous people
  • To connect the Bottom and Top Butterflies: Apply Glue on the body of the bottom-butterfly where it says Glue. Then Glue the body of the top-butterfly to the body of the bottom-butterfly. 
  • Fold up the flaps of the wings along the crease of the body to reveal the writing underneath the wings of the top-butterfly
  • ((**To prop the wings up on their own like in the sample pictures, I put a piece of tape on the inside edge of the wings where the top and bottom part meet near the body. (making an angle with the tap with the vertex being where the two pieces meet at the body)
  • Share your butterflies with your class, friends, and/or family, to spread body positivity! 

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*~I hope you enjoyed these Asian American Books and Crafts! I’d love to  see and hear about your own reading adventures you’ve been enjoying with your children, so please share below in the comments – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary  – or post on MaiStoryBook’s FaceBook page! You can also find me on TikTok for bookish fun!~*

Plus: Check Out MaiStoryBook Youtube for the full Asian American and Pacific Islander Children’s Book Read Aloud Playlist.

~Until Next Time, Happy Reading~*

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