It was strange to me that many important Japanese American stories were not told by Japanese Americans. I tried, therefore, to focus my Top 10: Japanese American Children’s Books list on lesser known authors telling important stories. I hope this list will inspire more authors in this genre!
With standardized tests looming large and budget cutbacks, can we really expect our education system to teach our children tolerance and understanding? Probably not. Perhaps it is best brought up at home, with these books and references to help build a bridge of understanding. This list of excellent materials is courtesy School Library Journal. The article is intended for teachers and you can read it in its entirety here.
I wasn’t familiar with this award though I do know about the Simon Wissenthal Museum from living in Los Angeles. My art teacher had a piece exhibited there and he said that it was the highlight of his career. I went through the past winner list and I haven’t read all the books, but the ones I have read (Though My Eyes, The Year of Miss Agnes, So Far from the Sea) are OUTSTANDING so it makes me want to read the entire list of winners, both past and present.