I spotted this book at my local library and was intrigued. What does love have to do with the library?
Love in the Library written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Yas Imamura and published by Candlewick Press is a picture book based on a true story about the author’s grandparents. It is a love story within a greater context of the Japanese incarceration camps after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
This hits home for me as a fifth generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii. My grandmother lived through gas mask drills and my Kauai grandparents wedding anniversary was on December 7, the same day as the attack of Pearl Harbor. But I was unaware that these camps existed at least until college when I minored in Ethnic Studies.
Maggie is a gifted writer whose words feel carefully chosen, poetic, but not in a sentimental way. Consequently, her concise sentences pack a powerful punch. She also expertly executes a difficult, challenging topic for young readers through a love story with a hopeful ending about the resilience of the Japanese people and how love can triumph over bigger powers that attempt to take everything away.
Throughout this love story are hints of what camp life was like. For example, I love this sentence: “In the camps, people did the jobs that needed doing, and that was that.” And this: “It didn’t matter who you were, just what you were-and being Japanese American then was treated like a crime. And though each camp was different, they were all the same. Uncomfortable and unjust.”
She weaves facts throughout the story, but her language is always kid-friendly. Writing this way without sentimentality and emotion provides some distance, helping to protect the reader from the severity of the situation.
The illustrations are like origami, delicately depicted, drawn with dark colors to show the harshness of the camps juxtaposed with the bright colors inside the camps where the Japanese tried to create a sense of safety and normalcy for their families.
The ending of this book is so beautiful, a real chicken skin moment, and is relatable for any child going through any hardship.
The Author’s Note in the back is equally powerful. It’s stunning in its no holds barred truth and the author does not hold back nor should she. Kids need authors like Maggie to fight for them. Kids need someone to tell the truth of America’s history, the good, bad and the ugly.
I read this book before I saw this video and learned about the controversy it ignited with Scholastic Books. After following Maggie on Instagram, I am even a bigger fan. She is an advocate for picture book writers including those who have been silenced through book bans throughout this country.
I am so grateful this book is in the world and grateful for authors and illustrators like Maggie and Yas.
