Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind by Cynthia Grady

Based on the true experiences of San Diego County librarian Clara Breed and the Japanese-American children she assisted in the early 1940s, this moving picture book explores the painful ramifications of the United States government’s order that all people of Japanese descent living on the nation’s West Coast be sent to prison camps.

When Clara Breed learned of the tragic order, she gave penny postcards to the children who were to be sent away and asked them to write to her. And for three years they did write, telling her of the hardships they encountered, thanking her for the books she sent once she learned where they were interned, and expressing their gratitude for a visit she was able to arrange.

Write to Me is an inspiring portrait of one woman’s love for the children she served and her fight for justice in a time when the United States government had demonized some of its own citizens in an attempt to ensure national security.

Cynthia Grady’s text, which shares portions of the letters the children wrote, and Amiko Hirao’s gentle illustrations deftly deal with the weighty subject matter of this significant book. (Charlesbridge)