In the story, So Far From the Sea, Eve Bunting uses the emotions and wisdom of Laura Iwasaki to gently and simply tell the story of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Through the unique use of black and white illustrations to depict the past and colored drawings to illustrate the present, we are told the story of Laura's family. As she gingerly walks through the deserted Manzanar Relocation Camp, Laura explains to us how her grandfather, father, and mother were taken from their homes after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and kept behind barbed wire to 'protect America'. She attempts to share with us her feelings and those of her family as they visit the grave of her grandfather. Laura's family will soon be moving to Massachusetts, so she must make one last visit to say good-bye to a grandfather she has never met. She tells us of her sorrow at having to leave behind her grandfather, 'a true American', who will be forever, 'so far from the sea' that he loved.

Similar authors: Ken Mochizuki; Suzanne Lieurance; Michael L. Cooper

Similar books: Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki; Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp by Michael L. Cooper; The Lucky Baseball: My Story in a Japanese American Internment Camp

Reviewed by: mb

Date read: 6/24/2011

ISBN-10: 0395720958

ISBN-13: 9780395720950

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Everyone in eight-year-old Artie's family loves lighting firecrackers at the Lunar New Year. One day, Artie's mean cousin Petey teases him too long, driving Artie to make a rash promise. He says that he'll buy firecrackers for all his cousins' Chinese New Year celebrations. How will Artie come up with the money to do this? Can his favorite Uncle Chester help him? Read this gentle story for a look at life in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950's

Reviewed by: msp

Date read: 12/8/2011

ISBN-13: 9780060253158

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Julian is great story teller. He can make people believe just about anything. His little brother, Huey, hears a lot of these stories. There's the one about the cats that come in the mail. And the one about growing taller if you eat leaves right off the tree. Some stories are just plain trouble, which is where Julian and Huey end up, a lot!

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/29/2009

ISBN-10: 0394943015

ISBN-13: 9780394943015

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Jamilah just wants to blend in at her school in Australia, so she changes her name to Jamie and dyes her hair blond, hoping her Lebanese-Muslim background will not be discovered. Her new email friend John is the one person she can open up to, but will she be able to when she actually meets him? When her Arabic-music band is hired to play at her school dance, she needs to decide who she is ' Jamie or Jamilah?

Similar books: Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 6/29/2010

ISBN-10: 0545050553

ISBN-13: 9780545050555

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This book counts down to a big girl's bedtime with warm, soothing illustrations. With one number on each two-page spread, beginning with '10 small toes all washed and warm,' and '9 soft friends in a quiet room,' and ending with '1 big girl all ready for bed,' the gentle, rhyming text takes readers through a bedtime routine. This is a good selection for even the youngest listeners, but older listeners learning to count can count the objects, like the nine soft friends (which are the girl's stuffed animals and her pet cat). This is a great calming choice for a story right before bed.

Awards won: Caldecott Honor 1984

Reviewed by: emc

Date read: 6/24/2010

ISBN-10: 0688009069

ISBN-13: 9780688009069

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