Mari wonders if anything can bloom at Topaz, where her family is interned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. The summer sun is blazingly hot, and Mari’s art class has begun. But it’s hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface under the harsh sun—in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Mari’s parents, and in the smile of a new friend.
Inspired by her family’s experiences, author Amy Lee-Tai has crafted a story rooted in one of America’s most shameful historical episodes—the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The art schools which offered internees moments of solace and self-expression are a little known part of this history. Amy Lee-Tai’s gentle prose and Felicia Hoshino’s stunning mixed media images are a testimony to hope and how it can survive alongside even the harshest injustice.
Amy Lee-Tai was born in Queens, New York and is of Japanese and Chinese ancestry. She first learned of the internment from her mother and through her grandmother, Hisako Hibi’s paintings. After earning her Master’s in Education from Harvard, she worked in schools as a Reading Specialist. Amy now lives in Virginia with her husband and children. This is her first book.
Felicia Hoshino is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer. In addition to her artwork, Felicia also studies and performs Japanese classical dance. She currently lives in her native San Francisco with her husband and children.
- 2007 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
- 2007 International Reading Association Children’s Book Award Notable
- 2007 Notable Books for a Global Society
- 2007 ForeWord Book of the Year Finalist
- Contributing Editors’ Favorite Reads of 2006, The Bloomsbury Reviews
- Best Books of the Season Pick 2006, San Francisco Chronicle
- 2006 selection, Society of Illustrators 26th Annual Exhibition of “The Original Art”
"Hoshino's watercolor-and-mixed-media illustrations are golden, topaz-touched …a richly informative introduction to a subject little-addressed in works for children.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Lee-Tai's tale, with its emphasis on the internees' dignity and feelings, offers the gentlest introduction to this tragic episode.” —School Library Journal
“Hoshino's ink-and-watercolor spreads both provide historical information and convey the story's emotional weight—and do both with grace.” —Publishers Weekly
“…beautiful, haunting depictions of life in an internment camp as seen by a child, and a narrative that is both simple and profound. A must in every school and library in the country.” —Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of Farewell to Manzanar
“In this touching story, young Mari is the embodiment of all Japanese Americans who were wrongly and unconstitutionally interned during World War II. She transcends her hardships and, most importantly, teaches all of us important lessons about our shared humanity and dignity.” —Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator
“Preservation of our history is the preservation of our democracy and a reminder of who we are as Americans. In a time of uncertainty, Amy Lee-Tai shines a light on what we are capable of perpetrating on our fellow citizens, and what we are capable of rising above.” —Mike Honda, United States Congressman
