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Japanese Americans World War II Experience

Japanese American Experience During World War II

On-line Resources
  1. 1900s Timeline
  2. Japanese American Internment
  3. Manzanar Photos
  4. Remembering Manzanar
  5. Manzanar National Historic Site
  6. Japanese American National Museum
  7. Arizona Camps
  8. National Japanese American Memorial
  9. Family Album Project
Japanese Related Books:
  1. Baker, Keith. The Magic Fan. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1989.
  2. Brown, Tricia. Konnichiwa! I Am a Japanese-American Girl. Photos by Kazuyoshi Arai. New York: Holt, 1995.
  3. Bunting, Eve. So Far from the Sea. NY: Clarion, 1998.
    When seven-year-old Laura and her family visit Grandfather's grave at the Manzanar War Relocation Center, the Japanese American child leaves behind a special symbol.
  4. Coerr, Eleanor. Sadako. Illus. by Ed Young. NY: Putnam, 1993 (48 ps.)
    A courageous story of a young girl's desire to live as she struggles against leukemia which she developed after the bomb attack on Hiroshima.
  5. Coerr, Eleanor. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. NY: Putnam, 1977.
  6. Friedman, Ina. How My Parents Learned to Eat. Houghton Mifflin, 1984. 32 ps.
    Chopsticks or forks? Which one would you use if you were trying to impress your date? In this delightful story, a couple fromtwo different cultures find common ground. (VLF/2)
  7. Godden, Rumer. Great Grandfather's House. Greenwillow, 90 ps.
    Keiko, a seven-year-old girl, lives in the city and meets her six-year-old male cousin, Yoji, when she spends three months with her great-grandparents in rural Japan. The illustrations highlight some of Keiko's escapades.
  8. Hamanaka, Shelia. The Journey: Japanese Americans, Racism & Renewal. New York: Orchard, 1990.
  9. Havil, Juanita. Sato and the Elephants. Lothrop, 32 ps.
    Inspired by the true story of a Japanese ivory carver, a young artist refuses to use ivory to carve when he discovers the source.
  10. Hosozawa-Nagano, Elain. Chopsticks from America. Chicago, IL: Polychrome Pub, 1994.
    When their family moves to Japan for a year, two Japanese American children find that they need to make a lot of adjustments.
  11. Ike, Jane Hori. A Japanese Fairy Tale, 1982.
    A lovely woman selects ugly man as husband.
  12. Irwin, Hadley. Kim/Kimi.
    Despite a warm relationship with her mother, stepfather, and half brother, sixteen-year-old Kim feels the need to find answers about the Japanese American father she never knew.
  13. Johnston, Tony. Fishing Sunday. NY: Tambourine Books, 1996.
    A young boy is embarrassed by his grandfather's old Japanese ways, but on one of their Fishing Sundays, he learns to see Grandfather in a new light.
  14. Kroll, Virginia. Pink Paper Swans. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1994
    Janetta, intrigued by the paper animals her neighbor Mrs. Tsujimoto makes, learns the art of origami and becomes Mrs. Tsujimoto's hands when her arthritis makes it difficult for her to continue.
  15. Kudlinski, Kathleen. Pearl Harbor is Burning! A Story of World War II. NY: Puffin, 1993.
    When his family moves to Hawaii in 1941, Frank feels out of place until he makes friends with a Japanese American boy--the day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
  16. Kuklin, Susan. Kodomo: Children of Japan. NY: Putnam's, 1995.
  17. Littlewood, Valerie. Great Grandfather's House. Greenwillow, 90 ps.
    Keiko, a seven-year-old girl, lives in the city and meets her six-year-old male cousin, Yoji, when she spends three months with her great-grandparents in rural Japan. The illustrations highlight some of Keiko's escapades.
  18. Levine, Ellen. A Fence Away from Freedom: Japanese-Americans and World War II. NY: Putnam, 1995.
  19. Maruki, Toshi. Hiroshima No Pika. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1980.
  20. Matsutani, Miyoko. The Crane Maiden. Illus. by Chihiro Iwasaki. New York: Parents', 1968.
  21. McDermott, Gerald. The Stonecutter. Morrow, 1983 (32 ps.)
    Tasaku is a stonecutter who suddenly desires to be as powerful as the elements, but learns that he can be powerful by being himself. (VLF/K1)
  22. McDermott, Gerald. The Woodcutter and His Wife
    Japanese comparison to "The Fisherman and His Wife" and "The Talking Fish"
  23. Mitsui Brown, Janet. Thanksgiving At Obaachan's. Chicago, Ill: Polychrome, 1994.
    A Japanese American girl describes Thanksgiving at her grandmother's house.
  24. Mochizuki, Ken. Baseball Saved Us. Lee & Low, 1993. 32 ps.
    "Shorty" and his family have been sent to a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. Even after the family returns home, baseball offers a way to overcome the misery that prejudice has caused. (VLF/3)
  25. Mochizuki, Ken. Heroes. NY: Lee and Low, 1995.
    Japanese American Donnie, whose playmates insist he be the "bad guy" in their war games, calls on his reluctant father and uncle to help him get away from that role.
  26. Mori, Kyoko. Shizuko's Daughter. Ballantine, 256 ps.
    Mori's first novel, set in modern Japan, is a beautifully written story. Sometimes blunt, but often poetic, it is the story of Yuki whose mother, Shizuko, commits suicide when Yuki is twelve. Through her art, she survives the isolation she feels, to become a strong, sensitive woman.
  27. Morimoto, Junko. Kenju's Forest. Sydney, Australia: Collins Publishing Australia, 1989.
  28. Morimoto, Junko. The Inch Boy. NY: Puffin Books, 1984.
  29. Morimoto, Junko. My Hiroshima. NY: Viking, 1990.
  30. Narahashi, Keiko. Is That Josie? NY: Margaret McElderry, 1994.
  31. Sakai, Kimiko. Sachiko Means Happiness. Children's Press, 1990. 32 ps.
    Sachiko resents having to look after her grandmother,who has Alzheimer's. But when she comes to understand her grandmother's illness, Sachiko realizes that they can still be happy together. (VLF/4)
  32. Salisbury, Graham. Under the Blood-Red Sun. NY: Delacorte Press, 1994.
  33. San Souci, Robert D. The Samurai's Daughter. Illus. by Stephen T. Johnson. New York: Dial, 1992.
  34. Say, Allen. The Bicycle Man. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1982.
  35. Say, Allen. Music for Alice. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. (32 ps.)
  36. Say, Allen. Grandfather's Journey. Houghton Mifflin, 1993 (32 ps.)
    The author shares the joys and sorrows of his grandfather's life in America and Japan.
  37. Say, Allen. Once Under the Cherry Blossom Tree.
    A miserly landlord wakes up one morning to find a cherry tree growing out of his head.
  38. Say, Allen. Tree of Cranes. Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 32 ps.
    A little Japanese boy learns about how his mother celebrated Christmas in the land she came from - - California.
  39. Shigekawa, Marlene. Blue Jay in the Desert. Chicago, Illinois: Polychrome Publishing, 1993.
    While living in a relocation camp during World War II, a young Japanese American boy receives a message of hope from his grandfather.
  40. Snyder, Dianne. The Boy of the Three-Year Nap, illus. by Allen Say. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
    Taro, a lazy poor widow's son, creates a plan disguising himself as an ujigami to marry a wealthy merchant neighbor's daughter. The widow maneuvers the outcome to change Taro's lazy habits.
  41. Stamm, Claus. Three Strong Women: A Tall Tale from Japan. Illus. by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng. NY: Viking, 1990.
  42. Tompert, Ann. Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake. Crown, 32 ps.
    An adaptation of a traditional Japanese tale that tells of an elderly couple forced to trade precious possessions in order to buy rice cakes to celebrate the New Year.
  43. Tsutsui, Yoriko. Anna's Secret Friend. Illus. by Aliko Hayashi. NY: Viking/Kestral, 1986.
  44. Tsutsui, Yoriko. Before the Picnic. Illus. by Akiko Hayashi. NY: Philomel, 1987.
  45. Tunnell, Michael. Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese American Internment Camp: Based on a Classroom Diary. NY: Holiday House, 1996. (74 ps.)
    The diary of a third-grade class of Japanese-American children being held with their families in an internment camp during World War II.
  46. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Best Bad Thing. NY: Atheneum, 1983.
    Rinko is dismayed at having to spend part of her summer vacation helping out in the household of recently widowed Mrs. Hata, but discovers pleasant surprises waiting for her.
  47. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Birthday Visitor. (32 ps.) Illus. by Charles Robinson. NY: Scribner's, 1975.
    Emi is convinced that her seventh birthday will be spoiled by yet another of her parent's ''dull'' visitors from Japan.
  48. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Bracelet. Philomel, 32 ps.
    Drawing on her own childhood as a Japanese-American during World War II, the author has created a powerful story about friendship and material culture. Beautifully illustrated, the main character, seven-year-old Emi, acts as an eloquent spokesperson for those who were forced to live in West Coast internment camps. Students will find her story informative and inspirational. (VLF/4)
  49. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Happiest Ending. NY: Atheneum, 1985. (112 ps.)
    When twelve-year-old Rinko learns that a neighbor's daughter is coming from Japan to marry a stranger twice her age, she sets out to change this arrangement and gains new insights into love and adult problems.
  50. Uchida, Yoshiko. A Jar of Dreams. NY: Atheneum, 1981. (131 ps.)
    A young girl grows up in a closely-knit Japanese American family in California during the 1930's, a time of great prejudice.
  51. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread. NY: Beech Tree Paperback, 1995. (136 ps.)
    Children's author, Yoshiko Uchida, describes growing up in Berkeley, California, as a Nisei, second generation Japanese American, and her family's internment in a Nevada concentration camp during World War II.
  52. Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey Home. NY: Atheneum, 1978.
    After their release from an American concentration camp, a Japanese-American girl and her family try to reconstruct their lives amidst strong anti-Japanese feelings which breed fear, distrust, and violence.
  53. Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz. NY: Scribner, 1971. (149 ps.)
    After the Pearl Harbor attack an eleven-year-old Japanese-American girl and her family are forced to go to an aliens camp in Utah.
  54. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Magic Purse. Illus. by Keiko Narahashi. New York: Margaret McElderry, 1993.
  55. Uchida, Yoshiko. The Rooster Who Understood Japanese. NY: Scribner, 1976.
    Miyo, a young Japanese American, helps her neighbor find a home in the country for her pet.
  56. Uchida, Yoshiko. Samurai of Gold Hill. NY: Scribner, 1972. (119 ps.)
    Seeking a new life in nineteenth-century California with his samurai father, a young Japanese finds it difficult to adjust to the idea of being a farmer and not a samurai.
  57. Uchida, Yoshiko. Urashima Taro.
    Young man sleeps undersea in wonder world. When returns like "Rip Van Winkle."
  58. Watkins,Yoko Kawashima. My Brother, My Sister, and I. NY:Bradbury, 224 ps.
    Two years after World War II, Yoko and her siblings struggle for food, shelter, employment, and education as they await word that their father has survived. This true account reveals Japanese class struggle and family loyalty.
  59. Wells, Rosemary. Yoko. NY: Hyperion, 1998.
    When Yoko brings sushi to school tries it for himself.
  60. Wisniewski, David. The Warrior and the Wise Man. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1989.
    An emperor gives his twin sons, one a warrior and one a wise man, a quest to see which will rule his kingdom.
  61. Yagawa, Sumiko. The Crane Wife. Trans. by Katherine Paterson. Illus. by Suekichi Akaba. NY: Morrow, 1981.
  62. Yashima, Taro. Crow Boy. Puffin, 1976.
    A little boy is spurned and teased by his classmates until a kind teacher discovers his talents. (VLF/3)
  63. Yep, Laurence. Hiroshima. NY: Scholastic, 1995.
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