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Lee & Low Books, 2018-16-10

Baseball Saved Us

Baseball Saved Us

Ken Mochizuki, Author

Dom Lee, Illustrator

Paperback

SKU:9781880000199

Regular price $11.95 USD
Regular price Sale price $11.95 USD
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During World War II, a young Japanese-American boy and his family are sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Despondent in their desolate surroundings, father and son pull the camp together to build a baseball diamond and form a league.
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When dignity is stolen and belonging denied, one small act of resilience can become a lifeline. This moving story invites readers to witness injustice, and through the lens of sport, discover quiet strength, identity, and the power of standing tall when the world tries to shrink you.

Readability • 4.0

Age Range • 4-8

Pages • 32

Subjects • Evacuation and relocation • 1942-1945 • World War • 1939-1945 • United States • Baseball • Prejudices • Sports fiction • Fiction • Japanese Americans

Categories • Juvenile Fiction | Asian American & Pacific Islander • Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Baseball & Softball • Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism • Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance

Twenty-five years ago, Baseball Saved Us changed the picture-book landscape with its honest story of a Japanese American boy in a concentration camp during World War II. This anniversary edition will introduce new readers to this modern-day classic.

One day my dad looked out at the endless desert and decided then and there to build a baseball field.

"Shorty" and his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, have been forced to relocate from their homes to a "camp" after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Fighting the heat, dust, and freezing cold nights of the desert, Shorty and the others at the camp need something to look forward to, even if only for nine innings. So they build a playing field, and in this unlikely place, a baseball league is formed. Surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guards in towers, Shorty soon finds that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.

Inspired by actual events, this moving story of hope and courage in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II reveals a long-hidden and ugly part of the American past. This 25th Anniversary Edition features a revised cover and a new introduction from the author and illustrator.

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