Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida

This novel  by Yoshiko Uchida describes the journey one Japanese family endured as Americans living in the United States during World War 2.  What fascinated me the most about this book was that it described a time of American history where I believe the United States did not upload the very fundamental principles it was based upon - the freedom of its people.  The era of Japanese  concentration camps, where our own people, although from a different ethnicity than that of others, were locked up and treated as prisoners in their own country.  Honestly, it's not something I know very much about, so reading this book illustrated to me just how hard it was for many people during that time.  Yoshiko Uchida takes a broad approach to the subject, not simply labeling Americans or the American government as "bad people". Instead, he takes an honest and somewhat unbiased approach at the subject, looking at how the war, the times, the events that  occurred affect one Japanese-American family in particular.  The story is centered around a girl, Yuki, whose family had been imprisoned in a concentration camp in American, regained their freedom, rebuilt their lives and embraced their lives as Americans.  Through other characters, themes of prejudice, hatred and bigotry are touched upon, as well as the effect of the war in general had on families and soldiers. The moral of the story?   I believe the author strives to convey a sense of what America was like for minorities in American during  the World War 2 era....the struggles for those who fought and died, those who fought and  survived, only to return home with scars on their hearts, as well as the fundamental spirit of hope that resides in all people.

This book reminded me somewhat of other books focusing on this era in time.  While their journey's were completely different, the iemain character Yuki reminded me of  Anne Frank in her thinking and her unyielding spirit in the face of various hardships.  I would love to read other books written by this author including Jar of Dreams one of his more recent books, as well as The Invisible Thread:  An Autobiography. 

Coretta Scott King Book Award: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

One Crazy Summer is the 2011 Coretta Scott King Book Award winner.  The story depicts a humanizing look at a point in history filled with turmoil and prejudice.  The book chronicles the journey three sisters take when they go to stay with their mother who left them when they were very young and as they come to terms with their abandonment while gaining an understanding of the life their mother choice over them.  What I found fascinating with this book is that the author doesn't specifically go about making the the story a lesson in history, or providing a happy resolution for any of the characters.  Instead, the story plays out in a humanistic fashion. The era is the late sixties during a time of change for American, specifically for African-Americans.  The oldest of the sisters, Delphine, holds the most resentment towards her mother, although she does well to hold it in, deep inside her.  The book, written mainly from her point of view, shows her transformation and awareness that things are always the way she has been taught to believe.  While she never quite gets the affirmation from her mother that she longed for, she did develop a new and different appreciation and understanding for her mother.

What I appreciated most about this book is how the author allowed me to connect emotionally with Delphine and I felt her pain, her resentment, and her growth throughout the story.  While on the surface, it would seem as though the character isn't one I could directly relate to, the author's choice of worse and storytelling ability, created that emotional bond, which allowed me to connect.  Possibly, one other reason for the connection is that I thoroughly enjoy reading novels written about this time period.  I find the eras of the sixties and seventies to be one of such significant growth and change in this country. So many pivotal moments that helped to shape our country today took place during this time.  This book takes an engaging look at this time and while the era is not a critical component of the story, it creates a backdrop that serves to helps readers understand the African-American perspective of that time.

Hiroshima. A Novella by Laurence Yep

While this book is fictional in its character depiction, the details, the emotions, the feelings it conveys is based upon historical facts pertaining to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.  The story is told in a factual manner, providing details from the experience of those American soldiers who dropped the bombs, to the people and children, specifically two school children, living in Hiroshima at the time.  The horror of the destruction caused by the bomb is clearly detailed, while at the same time taking a rather unbiased stance on the war itself as well as the dropping of the bomb.  The book is clearly not taking a stance on who was right or whether the atomic attack was justified.  Rather instead, the story simply discusses the affects that that fateful day had on people and in the years to come.

This was a short, quick read yet compelling in that I found myself unable to put it down.  While I was aware of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb, I had never read any real literature on the topic.  The book was easy enough to read for elementary students to comprehend and I believe this would be a great companion or discussion starter in classrooms because it provides a child's viewpoint on the horrors of that day.

Caldecott Medal: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

This delightful story is the story of an adorable little kitten seeing a full moon for the first time and mistakens it for a large bowl of milk.  The kitten does all she can to catch that bowl of milk. She jumps, leaps, runs, and falls again and again desperate for just a taste.  Finally she gives up and comes back home only to find a bowl of milk waiting for her on the front porch.  Happily, she drinks her milk. 

While the story is cute and charming, the illustrations are what makes the story unique.  Drawn in black and white, the illustrations, while simplistic, had charm and emotion to the kitten's journey.  Several pages of illustrations provide details and emotions that the kitten was feeling during his quest for the milk.  This book is captivating to children and grown-ups alike.  I am reminded of my children when they were one and two years old, exploring their world and surroundings for the first time.  The book conveys a sense of childhood innocence that adults often forget or take for granted. 

Caldecott Medal: Flotsam by David Wiesner

This book is a true picture book.  The story is told entirely through the illustrations, without words, yet the story is told beautifully clear and crisp.  The story is that of a curious young boy spending the day at the beach.  The illustrations depict through image clues, character traits of the boy.  For example, the opening picture shows the boy investigating a small sand crab creature with his magnifying glass.  Lying next to the boy in his bags of belongings, you see a microscope, binoculars, pails and boxes of various treasures and items he's found on the beach.  Without words, there is a clear understanding of the boys curiosity of nature and things around him.  During his exploration, he comes across a camera that has washed up to shore.  Upon investigation, he discovers it's an underwater camera that has film inside.  Anxiously, he takes the film to be developed, waits patiently for the pictures to come back and delves into the stories that the pictures provide to him.  The pictures show amazing underwater adventures that are unbelievable at times.  However, the last picture shows a picture of a girl holding a picture of another child, who is holding a picture of another child, and so on and so on.  Using his magnifying glass and microscope, he looks closer and closer at these pictures and is taken back through time as each picture reveals a different child from different generations who has found the camera and taken pictures.  The story concludes with the boy taking a picture of himself and then throwing the camera back into the ocean for more adventures. 

This book reminds me of childhood adventures I used to take whether it was at the beach or in my own backyard.  Finding the smallest of creatures and the tiniest pieces of nature all around me gave me hours of enjoyment.  So this book takes me back to those adventures of mine through just the illustrations of the story.  What is unique about this book, is that while the story itself is clear, the emotions and interpretations vary according to the perceptions of the reader.  That is part of its charm and mystique. 

John Henry by Julius Lester

This is the telling of the folk story legend, John Henry.  Written with metaphors and similes galore, this folk legend embodies the spirit of an American legend.  Although it is obvious, that this story is legend, with John Henry performing feats that no man is capable of, the metaphorical correlations between John Henry and the "can do" spirit that lies in all people, is inspiring.  John Henry, although a seemingly ordinary man, defies expectations and professes how nothing can stop him as long as he believes he can do it.  He proves himself time and time again. From running faster than the wind, digging through mountains with his hammers, working faster and harder than steam-engined drills, John Henry was unstoppable.  In the end, it was his undoing, because he died after working so hard his heart just gave out.  However, the legend he created and left behind, inspired all those around him and his death created as much positive energy as did his life.


While reading this story, I was reminiscent of folktales such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Babe, the Blue Ox.  When teaching 4th grade reading classes, I taught an entire unit on folktales and I loved all the legendary tales that spoke of the American spirit.  This take on John Henry was a wonderful and poetic way of illustrating the message of "anything is possible"!

Other books written by Julius Lester include various books on  folktales, such as The Knee-High Man and Other Tales and The Tales of Uncle Remus:  The Adventures of Brer Rabbit.  Fiction books that Julius Lester has written include Long Journey Home, This Strange New Feeling, and Time's Memory.  The majority of the books that Julius Lester has written deal with slavery and African American history.