Obaasan's Boots

Lara Jean Okihiro, Janis Bridger

Type:

Fiction

Categories:

Social Issues | Family | People & Places | Asian American & Pacific Islander

Themes:

Prejudice & Racism, Multigenerational, United States

Language:

English

Publisher:

Second Story Press

Grade Level:

4-7

Age Range:

9-12

Where to buy it

Amazon

Apple Books

Indigo

Description

Lou and Charlotte don’t know much about their grandmother’s life. Their Obaasan invites them to spend time with her, sharing her experience as a Japanese Canadian during WWII and a painful story of their family's internment. The girls begin to understand how their identities have been shaped by racism, and that history is not only about the past.

Cousins Lou and Charlotte don’t know a lot about their grandmother’s life. When their Obaasan invites them to spend the day in her garden, she also invites them into their family’s secrets. Grandma shares her experience as a Japanese Canadian during WWII, revealing the painful story of Japanese internment. Her family was forced apart. Whole communities were uprooted, moved into camps, their belongings stolen. Lou and Charlotte struggle with the injustice, even as they marvel at their grandmother’s strength. They begin to understand how their identities have been shaped by racism, and that history is not only about the past.

Contributors

Lara Jean Okihiro is a writer, researcher, and educator of mixed Japanese Canadian heritage living in Toronto. Intrigued by the power and magic of stories, she earned a Master’s (Goldsmiths, University of London) and a Doctorate (University of Toronto) in English. Living abroad inspired her to learn about her family’s internment experience. Lara’s diverse creative work emphasizes social justice, dispossession, and carrying the lessons of the past into the future.

Janis Bridger is an educator and writer who has many creative outlets and a love for the outdoors. She lives in Vancouver, Canada, close to where her Japanese Canadian grandparents lived before being interned. Janis earned a diploma in Professional Photography (Langara College), and a Master of Education (University of Alberta), specializing in teacher-librarianship. Social justice, diversity, and kindness are paramount in her life and embedded in her everyday teaching.

Formats

Awards

Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize , BC and YUKON Book AwardsShort-listed

Fred Kerner Book AwardShort-listed

Chocolate Lily Book Awards - Novel CategoryShort-listed

Red Cedar Book Award - Fiction CategoryShort-listed

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