The Wakame Gatherers by Holly Thompson, illustrated by Kazumi Wilds [in Bloomsbury Review]
01 May, by in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Japanese, Japanese American, Repost
Young Nanami shares an afternoon with her two grandmothers: her Baachan who lives with her family in Japan, and her Gram, who is visiting from the coast of Maine. Together the three share an ancient tradition...
As I write, I'm into the ninth of 16 hours that make up the audio version of Michael Pollan's
Mrs. Ruler finds fun and inventive ways to encourage her kindergarten students to eventually perform 100 random acts of kindness. Is there a better lesson?
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The poignant shortcomings of soulful slacker Ben Tanaka are artfully presented in this striking volume. And, of course, Ben isn’t the only one with shortcomings. When his live-in relationship in Oakland falls apart and his girlfriend...
The long-awaited biography – even if it’s a tad bit on the academic side – on Hayakawa, a trailblazing Asian American film pioneer, who in his silent heyday was one of the most recognizable, lauded actors,...
In the barren Japanese American internment camp, young Mari finds solace in her art, her friends, her family … and the joy of discovering nine tiny green stems that finally blossom with promises of a beautiful...
A few cheesy, overwritten scenes aside, this is one stunning debut novel that will make you weak in the knees. Sam Hamada, U.S.-born but raised in Japan, arrives at age 9 in Hawai‘i in 1930 to...
Clara Breed, a children’s librarian at the San Diego Public Library, proved to be a staunch supporter and enduring friend to a group of young Japanese American students who were forced to leave their homes and...
With their loved ones incarcerated behind barbed wire in internment camps, the segregated, all-Japanese American 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, led by Korean American Col. Young Oak Kim who recently passed away, became the most decorated...
How Yamanaka can tell some of the most harrowing stories with such lyrically beautiful language is astonishing. In her latest novel, Hawaii’s best known writer captures the story of three lost, tuberculosis-stricken sisters, sent away to...
An important compilation of essays, published posthumously, by longtime activist and Asian American Studies pioneer Ichioka. While numerous volumes focusing on the Japanese American internment already exist, Ichioka’s writings examine the specific period between the two...
After Pearl Harbor is bombed, every little thing changes for 12-year-old Sumiko, who lives on her aunt and uncle’s flower farm in California with her brother and cousins. Even though she’s an American, Sumiko and her...
The return in a new paperback edition of the second of a resonating historical trilogy that follows the young life of Adam Pelko. In A Boy at War, Adam is a high school student who experiences...
Moka the dog is especially inspired after he listens to a book about wolves. He breaks free from tea parties and dress-up to be more wolf-like, only to quickly realize...
Thrilling collection of four recent plays from one of my favorite playwrights: Sisters Matsumoto, The Wind Cries Mary, Ballad of Yachiyo, and Under the Rainbow which combines two playlets, Natalie Wood...
Uh-oh! Every time this energetic little girl is ready to go out, the weather changes, but nothing deters her delightful determination to have a great day.
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A delighful underwater pop-up journey with Samantha Squid as she introduces all her favorite sea friends.
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Five fascinating Japanese women artists – Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Takako Saito, Mieko Shiomi and Shigeko Kubato – left the conservative art world in their native Japan for New York. And if you can...
Wonderful illustrations recount a kitten’s first outside romp in search of an elusive butterfly.
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A long-overdue first biography of the life of extraordinary activist Yuri Kochiyama. Major plus: It’s extensively researched by a fellow activist.
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