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Lee & Low Books, 1995-01-03

Heroes

Heroes

Ken Mochizuki, Author

Dom Lee, Illustrator

Paperback

SKU:9781880000502

Regular price $11.95 USD
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From the author of Baseball Saved Us comes an intergenerational story that describes how a Japanese-American family deals with the painful legacy of war. Set against the backdrop of the 1960s and talk of Vietnam, it offers a universal message of dignity and courage to anyone who feels they are different. Full-color illustrations.
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In a time when appearances often overshadow truths, a young boy confronts the weight of prejudice and the quiet strength of his family’s legacy. This poignant story invites readers to reflect on the essence of heroism, the importance of integrity, and the enduring impact of personal history.

Readability • 3.5

Age Range • 5-8

Pages • 32

Subjects • Prejudices • Japanese Americans

Categories • Juvenile Fiction | Asian American & Pacific Islander • Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism • Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational

A Japanese American boy learns about heroism from his father and uncle who served in the U.S. Army.

Donnie is tired of playing the bad guy every time he and his friends get together to play war. According to the other kids, Donnie should play the enemy-after all, as a Japanese American he looks like "them." Instead, Donnie wishes they could just play his favorite game, football.

When he argues that his family served in the U.S. Army, Donnie's friends laugh and dare him to prove it. But when he asks his father and Uncle Yosh for proof, they tell him that kids should play something else besides war. "Real heroes don't brag," Uncle Yosh says. "They just do what they are supposed to do."

Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, this intergenerational story explores how one family deals with the painful legacy of war and prejudice. In their powerful follow-up to the award-winning Baseball Saved Us, Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee once again present young readers with American heroes they won't usually find in history books, but who they can always hold in their hearts.

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