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ebbie_casuallereading's review
4.0
The reason for not giving it 5 stars is I wish it was longer. The story itself is complete at the end however, tho I would have love to see a bit more of what happens next, when the camp is over and they have to build their "real" life from this point onward.
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Books like this one are important.
I remember having to read a middle-grade/ya novella in my English class, at 12-13 yrs old, about Japanese camps in Canada during the same period. I had no clue until then that they existed. It's a part of history people don't talk about as much as others, and I don't know why exactly (I have my suspicions tho). And BECAUSE of that (among other things), it needs to be remembered, just as any situation were people are put in camps because of fear, convenience, racism, war, incomfort or wtv bs "reason" they will claim it's justified.
It's never too early to teach that. It's never too early to explain to children, in a benevolent way, with all the love in the world, that this same world is cruel to people, that it is injust, and that the goal is to strive to do better, individually and collectibely. There is a way to do that, and I think this book gets it, is it.
If you're reading the book with a child, you don't have to do the verbatim of the last 2 pages out loud, you can try to explain in your own words what's the context of the story. I feel like the last 2 pages are for the adult readers who are going through the book with a child they love, or for "older" readers that can pick this book up out of curiosity, and learn what was up and is still always looming in a society were we allow people in power to put racist measures in place, enact them, and even for some of us, be pleased or applaude said measures.
Political literacy starts early, even if you don't want it to. So it's books like this one who will help children understand that everybody deserves rights, freedom and dignity.
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Books like this one are important.
I remember having to read a middle-grade/ya novella in my English class, at 12-13 yrs old, about Japanese camps in Canada during the same period. I had no clue until then that they existed. It's a part of history people don't talk about as much as others, and I don't know why exactly (I have my suspicions tho). And BECAUSE of that (among other things), it needs to be remembered, just as any situation were people are put in camps because of fear, convenience, racism, war, incomfort or wtv bs "reason" they will claim it's justified.
It's never too early to teach that. It's never too early to explain to children, in a benevolent way, with all the love in the world, that this same world is cruel to people, that it is injust, and that the goal is to strive to do better, individually and collectibely. There is a way to do that, and I think this book gets it, is it.
If you're reading the book with a child, you don't have to do the verbatim of the last 2 pages out loud, you can try to explain in your own words what's the context of the story. I feel like the last 2 pages are for the adult readers who are going through the book with a child they love, or for "older" readers that can pick this book up out of curiosity, and learn what was up and is still always looming in a society were we allow people in power to put racist measures in place, enact them, and even for some of us, be pleased or applaude said measures.
Political literacy starts early, even if you don't want it to. So it's books like this one who will help children understand that everybody deserves rights, freedom and dignity.
intensej's review
5.0
I loved the art in this book. Tokuda-Hall shares the real story of her grandparents George and Tama falling in love in the Minidoka incarceration camp.
amarieads's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lillas's review
5.0
beautiful book from start to finish! but one of my favorite lines is in the author’s note: “hate is not a virus; it is an american tradition.”
sigalwilnai's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
cherreadssharereads's review
5.0
Thought this was a graphic novel when I borrowed haha but wanted to read this before SQUAD. This is a beautiful picture book and I love the centering of humanness in the Japanese concentration camp.