So Far From the Sea- Eve Bunting (1998)

This book is about a family that is visiting a Japanese relocation camp. They are visiting because their grandfather is buried at the camp. They must visit him one last time before they move across the U.S.

I thought that this book was enjoyable. I am impressed with the way that Eve Bunting is able to address tough issues in a kid friendly way. She was able to communicate both sides of the issue without pressing too much of her own opinion on the subject. The part of this book that impressed me the most was the way that the illustrations really emphasized what was being written through the text. The illustrations flip between the present with images in color, and the past with images in black and white. The contrast of color helps the reader to grasp the change in time without being lost. The images are realistic and where color is used, it is all very bold. I am drawn to the images which help hook me into the rest of the story.

This book would be useful in my future classroom when covering the topic of World War II and what happened to Japanese-American citizens. Although this isn't a current event, it is important to teach and to know about problems such as these to be able to avoid them in the future. This book also communicates a serious problem in a way that students can understand.