Publishers Weekly
★ 11/29/2021
Love blooms in the Idaho desert at the Japanese prison camp called Minidoka in this stirring, compassionate narrative inspired by the experiences of Tokuda-Hall’s (Squad) Japanese American maternal grandparents. Employing simple yet evocative language (“Though each camp was different, they were all the same. Uncomfortable and unjust”), the author follows word-loving volunteer librarian Tama as she struggles to name her shifting emotions in the camp, where internees suffer from extreme weather conditions, a lack of privacy—the library window’s foremost view of a guard tower offers a constant reminder—and inhumane treatment. “But she could not think of a word that was right. She was scared and sad and confused and frustrated and lonely and hopeful.” The constant smiles and companionship of George, the small library’s consistent patron, soon prove comforting—and lead to something more. Fluid, dynamic gouache and watercolor illustrations by Imamura (Winged Wonders) spotlight the expressive internees’ individualism amid a bleak landscape, immersing readers via era-specific wardrobes and hues. Alongside a sensitive introduction to life in Japanese internment camps, this picture book transcends its central romance to encompass love for books, community, and being “human.” Back matter features a striking author’s note that provides further context and draws effective contemporary parallels, plus a photograph of the real-life Tama and George. Ages 6–9. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Love and literature transcend hatred and incarceration in this picture book about the author’s maternal grandmother, who was the librarian at the Japanese internment camp where she met and married her husband.
—The New York Times Book Review
The author’s gentle text captures the resilience of human dignity and optimism even during times of immense challenge and adversity. Imamura’s stunning gouache and watercolor illustrations convey both the setting and the emotions of the characters. . . Tokuda-Hall's author’s note discussing her grandparents, Japanese internment camps, and the continuing impact of racism caps off this powerful must-read.
—Booklist (starred review)
Simple yet evocative. . . Fluid, dynamic gouache and watercolor illustrations by Imamura (Winged Wonders) spotlight the expressive internees’ individualism amid a bleak landscape, immersing readers. . . Alongside a sensitive introduction to life in Japanese internment camps, this picture book transcends its central romance to encompass love for books, community, and being 'human.'
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This exquisite picture book, based on the experiences of the author's grandparents, tells a love story for the ages without sugarcoating history. . . . Illustrator Yas Imamura’s soft, muted, earth-tone illustrations work wonders in bringing the characters and setting to life. Her fine, smooth lines gently capture the tenderness that permeates this tale.
—BookPage (starred review)
This lovely, inspiring story unfolds in Imamura’s muted art, cushioning the harsh reality of how Japanese Americans were treated during World War II. . . . Tokuda-Hall recounts the true story of how her maternal grandmother and grandfather met in an internment camp in the 1940s and writes a stirring and heartbreaking paragraph about how ‘[h]ate…is an American tradition.’
—School Library Journal (starred review)
The gentle text shows how, no matter how bleak the outlook, people can find ways to hope, dream, and endure. . . . Imamura’s soft, exquisite illustrations capture the physical locale, using light and shadow in powerful ways. . . . An evocative and empowering tribute to human dignity and optimism.
—Kirkus Reviews
Full-spread gouache and watercolor illustrations along with smaller vignettes immerse viewers in camp life, depicting its hardships without overwhelming young readers. An earth-toned palette nevertheless remains light and hopeful.
—The Horn Book
A revealing exposé of unjust history and an exceptional tribute to love. . . Artist Yas Imamura (The Gravity Tree) uses gouache and watercolor to create remarkable illustrations that haunt, delight and capture the couple's "improbable joy." . . . . Library books and love sustain two young Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II in Maggie Tokuda-Hall's exceptional picture book homage to her maternal grandparents.
—Shelf Awareness
Heartbreaking and heartwarming, this hopeful story shows us that beautiful things can happen even in terrible situations.
—Brightly
Based on a true story about author Maggie Tokuda-Hall's grandparents, this story shares the reality of living in an incarceration camp during WWII.
—Tinybeans
School Library Journal
★ 12/01/2021
Gr 1–4—Based on true events, a gentle story about finding love and hope in a Japanese internment camp. After being relocated to Minidoka, a prison camp in Idaho, Tama takes a job in the camp's library. She loves books and notes that the justice championed in her favorite stories is in stark contrast to her new life of senseless captivity. Enter George. He visits the library every day but never reads a word. He waits patiently for Tama to realize that he loves her. When Tama finally sees what George truly holds "close to his heart," the two are married and soon are a family of three. Tokuda-Hall shares the message that love is a miracle and can grow in the most unlikely of places. She ends the story with her grandmother's own words, "The miracle is in all of us." This lovely, inspiring story unfolds in Imamura's muted art, cushioning the harsh reality of how Japanese Americans were treated during World War II. Young readers may find it hard to relate to the love story of two 20-somethings, finding it easier to connect with this subject matter by reading a story that centers on a child's experience or a beloved sport, as in Yoshiko Uchida's The Bracelet or Marissa Moss's Barbed Wire Baseball. In the back matter, Tokuda-Hall recounts the true story of how her maternal grandmother and grandfather met in an internment camp in the 1940s and writes a stirring and heartbreaking paragraph about how "[h]ate…is an American tradition." VERDICT This story is important but will require book-talking and story time sharing to find the right audience in a picture book format.—Shannon O'Connor, Unami M.S., Chalfont, PA
Kirkus Reviews
2021-10-13
This story, inspired by the author’s grandparents, celebrates love blooming in the desert during a time of extreme duress.
In a World War II incarceration camp for Japanese Americans, two young people find respite in one another. In Minidoka, families are crowded together, enduring harsh weather, barbed wire fences, the intimidating scrutiny of White armed guards, and the stress of unjust imprisonment. Book lover Tama finds solace volunteering in the camp library, where she is visited daily by George, a handsome young man with a seemingly insatiable appetite for reading. Tama, who revels in the power of words, struggles to name her overwhelming feelings. George’s reassurance that she is only human opens the door to love, marriage, and the birth of their first child in camp, a bubble of happiness in the midst of struggle. The gentle text shows how, no matter how bleak the outlook, people can find ways to hope, dream, and endure. An author’s note fills in some background on the real Tama and George Tokuda and connects their story to the many other American communities who experience racism but nevertheless claim joy. Imamura’s soft, exquisite illustrations capture the physical locale, using light and shadow in powerful ways. The 1940s setting comes to life with loving care in details of the decor and characters’ clothes.
An evocative and empowering tribute to human dignity and optimism. (Picture book. 7-10)
