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

A touching story about Japanese American children who corresponded with their beloved librarian while they were imprisoned in World War II internment camps.

When Executive Order 9066 is enacted after the attack at Pearl Harbor, children's librarian Clara Breed's young Japanese American patrons are to be sent to prison camp. Before they are moved, Breed asks the children to write her letters and gives them books to take with them. Through the three years of their internment, the children correspond with Miss Breed, sharing their stories, providing feedback on books, and creating a record of their experiences. Using excerpts from children's letters held at the Japanese American National Museum, author Cynthia Grady presents a difficult subject with honesty and hope.

" A beautiful picture book for sharing and discussing with older children as well as the primary audience" — Booklist STARRED REVIEW

"A touching tribute to a woman who deserves recognition" — Kirkus Reviews

"[An] affecting introduction to a distressing chapter in U.S. history and a brave librarian who inspired hope" — Publisher's Weekly

Cynthia Grady is a former middle-school librarian and the author of Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song and I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery. She holds master's degrees in children's literature, library studies, and classics/philosophy/liberal studies.

Amiko Hirao earned a degree in art history in her native Japan and later graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. She has illustrated Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Tulip at Bat, and Just What Mama Needs.