A Place Where Sunflowers Grow

By Amy Lee-Tai, Felicia Hoshino
Out of Stock

Bilingual English/Japanese. A young girl finds things to be joyful about in the Topaz Internment Camp.

Description

Mari wonders if anything can bloom at Topaz, where her family is interned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. The summer sun is blazingly hot, and Mari’s art class has begun. But it’s hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface under the harsh sun–in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Mari’s parents, and in the smile of a new friend.

Inspired by her family’s experiences, author Amy Lee-Tai has crafted a story rooted in one of America’s most shameful historical episodes–the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The art schools which offered internees moments of solace and self-expression are a little known part of this history. Amy Lee-Tai’s gentle prose and Felicia Hoshino’s stunning mixed media images are a testimony to hope and how it can survive alongside even the harshest injustice.

About the Creators

Amy Lee-Tai

Amy Lee-Tai was born in Queens, New York and is of Japanese and Chinese ancestry. She first learned of the internment from her mother and through her grandmother, Hisako Hibi’s paintings. After earning her Master’s in Education from Harvard, she worked in schools as a Reading Specialist. Amy now lives in Virginia with her husband and children. A Place Where Sunflowers Grow is her first book.

Felicia Hoshino

Felicia Hoshino is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer who also illustrated Lee & Low's Juna's Jar, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, and Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin. In addition to creating mixed-media images for children's books and magazines, she enjoys painting children's portraits, cooking with her husband, and decorating the walls at home with art created by her son and daughter. Hoshino lives in her native San Francisco, California, with her family. You can visit her online at felishino.com.

Awards

  • Jane Addams Children's Book Award

    Jane Addams Peace Association

Reviews

  • "Hoshino's watercolor-and-mixed-media illustrations are golden, topaz-touched. . . . A richly informative introduction to a subject little-addressed in works for children."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Lee-Tai's tale, with its emphasis on the internees' dignity and feelings, offers the gentlest introduction to this tragic episode."

    - School Library Journal
  • "Hoshino's ink-and-watercolor spreads both provide historical information and convey the story's emotional weight—and do both with grace."

    - Publishers Weekly

Paperback

  • ISBN 9780892392742
  • Publication Date Jan 15, 2015
  • Trim Size 10.75 × 9.5 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9780892392155
  • Publication Date Jan 15, 2015
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 1.125 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Historical / United States / 20th Century
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / People & Places / United States / Asian American
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Historical / Military & Wars
  • Themes Art, Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Bilingual, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Collaboration, Conflict resolution, Courage, Discrimination, Dreams & Aspirations, Empathy / Compassion, Environment / Nature, Families, Farming, Fiction, Friendship, Heroism, History & Civics, Home, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Imagination, Immigration, Kindness / Caring, Mentors, Optimism / Enthusiasm, Overcoming Obstacles, Persistence / Grit, Sharing & Giving, Social Justice & Activism, United States History, War, World War II
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 7 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 2 - 5
  • Guided Reading Q
  • ATOS Book Level 3.9
  • DRA 40
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 730
  • SRC 4.5
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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