by Lara Jean Okihiro and Janis Bridger

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.

Published:
Publisher: Second Story Press
Genres:
Children’s Books

Tags:
2024 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner

About the Author

Lara Jean Okihiro is a writer and researcher who, intrigued by the power of words as a kid, eventually earned a BA, MA (Goldsmiths, UK), and PhD (Toronto) in literature. Her relationship with her grandparents and living abroad encouraged her to study the Japanese Canadian internment, and she has since taught, lectured, and published internationally. Lara’s children’s novel, Obaasan’s Boots, co-written with her cousin, traces her family’s experience of being uprooted and dispossessed. Currently, she’s completing a book on hoarding in Japanese Canadian literature and beginning another about a magical world of ancestors and fairies.

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), a Bachelor of Education and General Studies (Simon Fraser University) 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.