Customer Reviews

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (English and Japanese Edition)

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A lovely bilingual picturebook (English/Japanese), A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai features illustrations from Felicia Hoshino and is the intimate story of a young girl and her life among thousands of other Japanese American families interned by the government during World War II in the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah. Deftly contributing to a historically ill state of America and their world, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow follows Mari through the beginning of her art classes during the heat of the summer, her discovery of life, her newly found passion for art, and the use of her art to cope with the harsh circumstances of her family's confinement. Inspired by the author's personal life and family history, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow is very highly recommended for all young readers ages 6 to 10, as well school and community librarians seeking to augment their bilingual picturebook collections.

I loved this book. The pictures were beautiful and they really portrayed how life was for a little girl in the Japanese internment camps. I loved the Japanese writing underneath all of the English text, a nice touch. I used this for a school project (multicultural lesson plan) and it went over really well. I plan on using this book in my classroom when I become a teacher!

This is a beautiful book on Manzanar. My kids were drawn into the pictures and understood the message. I have given it as a gift twice.

The artwork is beautiful and the story is a story

that must be told and never forgotten. This is a

book that I would like to see on school summer

reading lists.

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, by Amy Lee-Tai and illustrated by Felicia Hoshino, takes place in an internment camp in the U.S. Mari is homesick thinking about memories before she came to the internment camp. Mari and Mama planted sunflower seeds. Mari asked Mama if the sunflowers will grow high, powerful and lovely. "It will take time patience and care," Mama answered nicely.

The next day Papa walked with Mari to Topaz School. Papa asked Mari "Why don't you giggle and speak any more?" When art class started, Mari couldn't think what to draw and when art class finished, Mari's paper was still blank. The next day when Mari went back to Topaz Mrs. Hanamoto said to draw something from before you came here but Mari still couldn't think something so she drew her old backyard. Mama and Papa were worried about Mari. Mari-chan didn't want to talk about it.

The next few days Mari was improving with her art and the walls were filled up with pictures. When Mari and Aiko were walking home together a big blizzard of dust storm went on to Aiko and Mari's skin. It was hard to walk but they tried and tried. When they reached to Mari's barrack they slammed the door immediately. They were coughing and were trying to get some air. The next few days Aiko-chan saw the sunflowers. Aiko called "Mari-chan!" She went running and looked at the sunflowers too and little tiny plants with little green leaves were growing. Mama, Mari, Aiko, and Mari's brother were happy.

This book teaches you that if you are in a scary place, your loved ones will still be there and it makes it less scary for you. Mari and her family had to go to the internment camp because of the World War Two and their things were taken away. A part when it was scary was when Mari and Papa were walking together to Topaz school and men were pointing guns at them. A part when it was happy was when Aiko and Mari were trying to walk through the dust storm and when Mari and Aiko reached Mari's barrack. They were coughing and laughing so Mari felt happy to have a new friend. Another part when Mari is happy is when Aiko saw the sunflowers and Aiko called Mari. When Mari saw the little green leaves she was really happy. I like the way when Mari is shy she still shows who she is to her teacher and her family.

By Boonevie

Amy Lee-Tai's award-winner, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, is a striking departure from typical picture books. Through the story of little Mari, who cannot understand why her family had to leave their home, young readers are given a poignant glimpse of life in a U.S. Japanese American internment camp during World War II. When Mari finds she cannot draw even a single picture in art class, her teacher suggests that she draw something that made her happy before her family was forced to move to the camp. Reflecting upon the home she had to leave behind, Mari colors a picture of the back yard where she and her brother played on the swing their Papa built, and where the garden was filled with flowers. Sharing her picture with a classmate, Aiko, opens a friendship that blossoms along with the sunflowers Mari planted weeks before. Felicia Hoshino's illustrations are a perfect complement to the story, capturing not only the innocence of childhood, but the harshness of the dreaded camp. Amy Lee-Tai drew upon the experience of her own family in writing A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, sharing with readers the little known realities of this sad and shameful chapter in American history. This bilingual book features text in both English and Japanese. For children six and older, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow should be available in both school and public libraries.