PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda--Hall & Yas Imamura
ABOUT THE BOOK
Set in an internment camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak.
To fall in love is already a gift. But to fall in love in a place like Minidoka, a place built to make people feel like they weren’t human—that was miraculous.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. All Japanese Americans from the West Coast—elderly people, children, babies—now live in prison camps like Minidoka. To be who she is has become a crime, it seems, and Tama doesn’t know when or if she will ever leave. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the camp’s tiny library, taking solace in pages bursting with color and light, love and fairness. And she isn’t the only one. George waits each morning by the door, his arms piled with books checked out the day before. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders: Can anyone possibly read so much? Is she the reason George comes to the library every day? Beautifully illustrated and complete with an afterword, back matter, and a photo of the real Tama and George—the author’s grandparents—Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s elegant love story for readers of all ages sheds light on a shameful chapter of American history.
REVIEW
This lovely picture book takes place in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Readers/listeners meet Tama who like all the other Japanese Americans from the west coast was sent to live in a relocation camp. She works in the camp library with the books, which give her a brief respite from the difficult conditions of the camp. Everyday a young man named George comes to the library to get new books. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders how George manages to read so many books so quickly. Only later does she discover the real reason for his frequent visits. Based on the experiences of the author's grandparents, this story highlights the resilience of the human spirit, finding love even in the most unlikely of places. The author's note at the end of the story provides context for the camps and includes a photograph of the real Tama and George. Books like this are so valuable for teachers who want to help children understand things that can be so hard to explain. The pictures of the guard towers and barbwire fence in the background add a sobering touch to the sweet romance. The gouache and watercolor paintings wonderfully highlight Tama and George and their situation. I especially enjoyed the paintings that showed the adventures the books provided for Tama. I highly recommend this book for the work of art it is as well as an important contribution to diverse literature.
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