From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–Shigeru attempts to preserve the language and the customs of the Ainu by providing autobiographical snapshots of growing up in the 1930s in Hokkaido, Japan. He shows his respect for the traditions of his people to honor nature and family in his own reminiscences and in his retellings of two traditional tales. He is also quite outspoken about his strong opposition to the Japanese government overrunning the land of Ainu Mosir. Unfortunately, the text is choppy and not well organized, and some of the material is not appropriate for children (for example, he describes how, when he was a boy, his mother would warm his cold hands between her breasts). This, combined with very small and crowded print, and somewhat dated-looking, earth-toned watercolors, makes the title uninviting. Readers will be much better served by Barbara Poisson's The Ainu of Japan (Lerner, 2002).–Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
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