Reviews (12)

An Unforgetable Tale
This story is very well written by author Yuskiko Uchida. This story takes place around the time when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A normal Japanese-American girl lived in Berkekly, California and her life was like a regular girls life. Until her father was taken from her and her family. That was when World War 2 started. This girl and her family were moved from concentration camp to concentration camp taking away from her normal life. Will her friends and family ever be reunited again? Friendship, courage, and faith soon will come to her and her family .

I am only 11, 10 at the time I read the book, and it taught me so much. I have always been a "bookworm" and this book surely proved it. I read this book in a restuarant, lawyer office, and everywhere else we went. This book is so good, you will not want to put it down. This amazing boook an unforgettable, heartwarming story that you'll definitely want to read!

Wonderful historical fiction
I homeschool my 12 y.o. son, and we read this book for a historical fiction book group. It is a beautifully written story of the tragic internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It brings to life both the physical realities and the emotional burdens that were imposed by tearing people from their homes and sending them to dismal war camps. I highly recommend this book as an accompaniment to non-fiction reading about the internments, because it provides such a vivid picture of this sad chapter in American history.

Topaz
Journey to Topaz

The plot of the story is that Yuki and her family are sent to various places to live, they are camps for only Japanese, because the Japanese across the ocean have just bombed Pearl Harbor. In the time between when Yuki is still living in her home, and Yuki and her family are sent to the last camp, Topaz, are very horrible ones. People get sick, they die, and they don't like conditions they have to live in among many other things. Like the second camp they are sent to is really sandy and gritty. The "apartments" that all the Japanese had to stay in are really cold and dark.
I liked the book to an extent. The reason for this is because this book is a lot different then the books I usually read. There are some suspenseful parts, but there weren't too many. The book deals with the Japanese living in America being marked as traitors because of the bombing on Pearl Harbor. That was pretty interesting, but I still like adventure books. I would recommend this book to everyone who like history.

Jouney To Topaz
Journey to Topaz is a great book. I love the advanced words in it and the way that the author throws in Japanese words into it. My reading teacher said that the school didn't have enough books to supply all of us with books, so I had to get a photocopied book. But it was such a great book, I'm going to beg my parents into buying it on Amazon.com! I think my teacher should have gone onto Amazon.com and bought us books so we could have the pleasure of having a real copy! I think Journey to Topaz is the best book I have ever read, because it teaches you that not only the Jews were affected by World War 2, but the Japaneese were affected as well, just as much as the Jews. It was also a breaking to the constitutional laws. Yoshiko Uchida(the author of the book) says it was uncalled for. I think that this book is great-five stars is definitly underestimating it!

an unforgetable book
i first read this book when i was about 9 yrs. old and i still read it and i'm 15. it's a really good book and i like how Yoshiko Uchida comined real hisorical events that really happened in the internment camps and to the japanese-americans in america at that time to make the story relistic. it's is a moving stoy about yuki a girl who lives a perfectly normal life in Berkley, CA. until japan bombs pearl harbor and her life is turned upside down. i really recomend this book to anyone who'd like to read a good book. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A BOOK WITH MAJOR EXCITMENT!
If you like excitment this is a great story for you! It is about a little Japenesse girl. Her parents lived in japan but she was born in the U.S when they crossed over. Her Aunt is still in Japan. Many hard things happen. And I want you to read this book to find them out.

jar of dreams
Jar of Dreams is about Rinko a Japanese american girl. she lives in California and kids at school and just people in general say racial slurs to her, which makes her resent wish she didn't looks so Japanese. her family is barley making their payments. her dad is a barber but really wishes to be a mechanich and her mom cleans other peoples house. then Rinko's mom decides to start her own landry business, and the competing landrymat trys to get even. thinkgs start to change when Rinko's aunt Waka from japan comes for the summer and changes everyones attitudes. Everyone is Rinkos family begins to stand up for themselves and decides to go for their dreams. Rinko's dad decides to start a mechanic shop, Rinkos brother goes back to college to become a engineer and Rinko's mom keeps up her laundry service. i really recomend reading this book

One of he best books i ever read
The book "A Jar of Dreams" is the story of Rinko Tsujimura, an 11-year old 2'nd generation Japanese-American, growing up in California in the 1930's, as well as her family whichincludes her mama, and papa, her younger brothe joji, and her older brother Cal, wh dicourages her sister by saying that no school district will hire a japanese teacher (it is Rinko's dream to be a teacher). Rinko often resents being Japanese because she and her family are ridiculed, especially by Wilbur Starr, the owner of a laundry business. Starr wants to drive the Tsujimura's laundromat out of business, and threatens them. When Aunt Waka comes to visit them, from Japan, she teaches them to b proud of their unique japanese heritage. Eventually rinko's father and his go friend mr.kanda, stand up Wilbur Starr, and Rinko, Cal. and Joji, learn to be proud of being Japanese.

A jar of dreams
Rinko lives in California and is friendly and kind but many people don't pay attention to just because she is Japanese. Rinko feels she is no good until her Aunt Waka comes to visit. Then Aunt Waka teaches Rinko many things especially that she should be proud to be Japanese.

Rinko Learns About Herself
This book is a story you will want to read. Rinko Tsujimoto is a Japanese girl who is living in a family of five. She has one older and one younger brother. Rinko sometimes bullies her younger brother, Joji, but not much. They still love each other. Rinko's favorite is her older brother Cal, who is not in the book much. He has just begun college in Stockton, even though he doesn't think he'll get a good job because he's Japanese.
This story is all about Aunt Waka coming to stay with Rinko at her house and the adventures they have together. Rinko is not so thrilled about Aunt Waka at first. Aunt Waka has a deformed foot, and she gave Rinko a kimono instead of something she could play with. She was wrong about her though. Aunt Waka was great and she changed Rinko's life by teaching her to be proud of herself and her Japanese character. I give this story four stars because it doesn't have enough excitement for me and it's not the best story in the world. Still, if you like family stories then this is the book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Growing up in California, Yoshi knew her family looked different from their neighbors. Still, she felt like an American. But everything changed when America went to war against Japan. Along with all the other Japanese-Americans on the West Coast, Yoshi's family were rounded up and imprisoned in a crowded. badly built camp in the desert because they"looked like the enemy." Yoshiko Uchida grew up to be an award-winning author. This memoir of her childhood gives a personal account of a shameful episode in American history.

Reviews (10)

A very good book about a shameful time in history.
Yoshiko Uchida vividly tells about growing up a Japanese American in California and being sent to a concentration camp during World War II. I found this book very interesting and couldn't put it down. It was interesting to read about the Japanese customs and holidays that her family observed and to learn more about something that should not have happened in our history.

Very Intriguing
I am 10, but I found this book incredible. I love reading biographies and autobiographies so "The Invisible Thread" was perfect for me. Yoshiko writes well and I just couldn't believe that people would be so cruel to innocent people that looked like Japanese people. Yoshiko wasn't even really Japanese, just Nisei. This is one great book!!!!!

Walking an invisible thread
The delicate balance that must be maintained in non-fiction children's books is this: While we cannot pretend to ignore or beautify the ugly events that have happened in the past, at the same time we must make these horrendous occurrences palatable to the young reader. In the case of Yoshiko Uchida, the notable Japanese-American children's author has made her career in writing about Japanese, Japanese-Americans, and their place in history. With "The Invisible Thread" the author has decided to write a work that is a little more personal. This autobiography marks a departure for Uchida, leaving behind the fictional past for the real one. In it, kids learn first-hand about a particularly shameful (and shamingly recent) chapter in America's history: the degrading Japanese internment camps.

A good author writing about a catastrophic event leads up to the moment cautiously. If you're showing a difficult moment in a person's (or persons') life, you don't just run headlong into the moment without giving a little background first. In this way, Uchida sets the stage for the reader. Yoshiko grew up as a second generation Japanese-American in California in the 1930s. Born of parents that had both immigrated to the United States separately, Yoshiko was privileged to live in a fairly well-to-do area in Berkley, California. Living with Japanese ancestry in the U.S. at that time was not an easy thing, but Yoshika was hardly about to challenge the system. As we watch the author grows up, goes to college, and makes numerous friends. Her life, such as it was, was fairly uneventful. Then, just about halfway through the book Pearl Harbor is bombed and everything changes. Yoshiko and her family are sent packing from their beloved home (and dog) to temporary quarters in an old racing track. The story picks up as she learns to teach and exist in her new environment, detailing the dehumanizing effect that such living has on human beings.

What I liked about this book was the real sense one got of the difference the America of that time and the American of today. Uchida puts it best herself in a passage found in the chapter, "Prisoner of My Country". In this passage she writes:

"Resistance or confrontation such as we know them today was unthinkable, for the world then was a totally different place. There had been no freedom marches or demonstrations of protest. No one had yet heard of Martin Luture King, Jr. No one knew about ethnic pride. Most Americans were not concerned about civil rights and would not have supported us had we tried to resist the uprooting".

Educators using this book today could easily point out that though we are not interning people of Middle Eastern descent today, we are certainly not making America a place that is much more hospitable today than it was for the Japanese at that time. The book is a useful tool for placing a moment in American history within its context. I was especially thrilled to find that there are additional resources and books listed in a neat bibliography for both kids and adults wanting to know more about Japanese internment camps. What is remarkable is that the book makes the event real to the reader, allowing us to feel a little of what the author, her family, and friends went through at the time. In the end, Uchida is an accomplished writer that knows exactly how to bring children into a dangerous past without horrifying them with too many of the details. It is a delicate line to walk and Uchida treads it with the utmost care.

Interesting- but mostly boring!
I am just 11, but I love to read, and there are few books I don't get through. When I started reading this, it went nowhere. It just stayed very boring the whole time. Yes, I did enjoy learning about it, but overall, I really didn't enjoy this book. I'm not much of a biography person, so maybe someone who enjoys biographies would like this better. I was very surprised to see that many people gave it 4 or 5 stars.

Honest and insightful.
I read this book, and found it VERY insightful. it describes her life in honesty, and with an uncensored style. But it was un-condemning. Which is good. I would reccomend it because it is written in a clean, and easy to follow style. It is well worth reading if one wishes to study up on the Japanese-American lifestyle. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Poor Stanley. He's a perfectly normal boy until one morning he wakes up flat. After his parents peel the incriminating bulletin board off of him, Stanley must adjust to life as a pancake. He is a boy who takes this kind of thing in stride, though, and soon he's enjoying the advantages of squashedness.Sliding under closed doors is fun, and it's gratifying to be of use to his mother when she drops her ring through a narrow metal grating. Expensive plane fare to California? No problem. Svelte Stanley folds comfortably into a brown paper envelope. There's even room left over in there for an egg-salad sandwich. But Stanley's true moment of glory comes when a gang of thieves begins stealing paintings from the Famous Museum of Art. The case seems hopeless--until our two-dimensional hero saves the day. Here is one boy who doesn't let his profile-challenged body stop him from living life fully--that is, until his brother finds a way to help him become well rounded again. Jeff Brown's matter-of-fact tone and Tomi Ungerer's witty and engaging drawings tickle the funny bone, making this 1964 classic a perennial favorite. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Thrilled recipient of a "Flat Stanley"
I am not a teacher so cannot of course address how well this book can be used in a classroom. But just three days ago I received a wonderfully flat package from my little niece in California (I am in Ohio) which contained a "Flat Erik" (guess they named their own little guys). I am to keep Flat Erik for two weeks and chronicle his activities then return Flat Erik, my journal and pictures to my niece. All returned Flat characters will be displayed in their classroom's open house next month.

I am thrilled to be hanging out with Flat Erik; he has already played in the snow, slept in his own little bed, gone to work and gone shopping. Just today we went to the bookstore (sorry Amazon :) and purchased a copy of Flat Stanley so that I knew what my niece had read. Of course as an adult I found the story less than entertaining but can see the attraction for kids and teachers.

I look forward to the coming two weeks with my Flat Erik.

Flat Stanley
One morning Stanley woke up, and he was flat because a heavy bulletin board falls on him. The rest of the book tells about his adventures, like being mailed to California in an envelope, and pretending to be a picture in a museum to catch sneak thieves. Eventually, Stanley gets tired of being flat, even though he is famous for catching the thieves. It is his brother Arthur who uses a bicycle pump to blow him up. Then life can get back to normal. Follow up activities:Children do a craft and writing assignment which I call "I'm Flat and That's That." First, I give them a small ball of play dough and they make themselves and flatten it out on a piece of writing paper. They trace it and draw in the details and then remove the play dough. They write a story about themselves being flat and how they got like that, what happened, etc. They love this book and activity!

This book touched me and I haven't even read it
Today I recieved a letter in the mail from my little brothers class in school. I live in California, so his class decided to send a little flat Stanley to me so I could take him on adventures and send back pictures of what we did together. This book touched me and I haven't even read it. Just that my brother and his class would want to involve me in this, that it was that good of a book to them, makes it a 5* for me as well.

Flat Stanley
Flat Stanley is a really great book and I think it was really intresting and funny when you read it you will feel like your in the book

I'm Hooked
I had heard of Flat Stlanley before and although I thought the concept was cute I had never used this book in my second grade. At least not until this year. I am using it with one of my flexible reading groups. I'm absolutely hooked and the children are as well. We have posted the pros and cons of being flat and have joined in with the Flat Stanley project. This is providing so many enriching extension activities! We are now "hosting" Flat Stanleys from Ontario, Thailand, and Australia. The learning that is taking place (writing, reading, speaking, creating, geography, world cultures) is astounding. My students are constructing their own Stanleys who will be traveling around the world to be hosted in other states and countries. I will be buying more copies of this book so I can do this with my entire class next year. I purchased Stanley in Space for my reading group to move on to next. I can't believe I was not aware of how wonderful this book could be. I have been able to integrate it throughout my curriculum. HIGHLY recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Bracelet
This book was mistakenly placed in my preschool classroom and read to the children by another teacher. If you are planning to buy this book be aware that some of the themes in the book may not be appropriate for children under 6-7 years old. This book deals with a child being taken away from home, friends and family then losing a prized possesion. The book also includes talk about war and soldiers with guns. My class had difficulty understanding why Emi was being taken away. This book is more suited to children much older.

an importance lesson in memory
In the first illustration we see two typically Californian homes with cars in their driveways. One has a "For Sale" sign on its front steps. Emi, a second grader, sits and waits. Her father has been sent to a prison camp in Montana, and soon the FBI will take her, her sister, and her mother to a detention center and then to a detention camp in Utah. Emi and her family are Japanese Americans in California. It is 1942, and the United States is at war with Japan. Emi and 120,000 other Japanese Americans (80,000 of them citizens) were sent to detention centers due to their ethnic heritage by the U.S. government; their rights were abrogated. There is a knock at the door. Is it the FBI? No, it's her friend and neighbor Laurie. She gives Emi a gift, a bracelet, with which to remember her by. They hug. Emi and her family, allowed just a couple of suitcases, are sent with other from San Francisco to a racetrack which has been converted to a detention center. They see guards with guns and bayonets, and as they pass a boarded up grocery store, we see a sign in the drawing, saying that the store owners are "loyal Americans." When Emi loses the bracelet after arriving at the detention center, she learns that a person can remember people and families in the absence of physical items and personal effects. An afterword explains the historical events and the redress made by the US Federal government under Presidents Ford and Carter. Yoshiko is also the author of The Invisible Thread, her account of a childhood in detention.

Fantastic Book for the Classroom
This book is a must for any classroom library. The children in my classroom had fantastic and thoughtful things to say about this book, in third grade! This book deals with tough subjects and still has a beautiful moral.

Heartfelt story with universal appeal
Yoshiko Uchida writes of her experiences growing up during World War II living in California. Many of her works deal with the evacuation of Japanese Americans to internment camps away from the coastal areas. Although "The Bracelet" deals with the internment experience, the story has universal appeal because the theme is friendship. The young girl in the story is evacuated to a camp. Upon leaving, her best friend, who is Caucasian, gives her a bracelet. The young Japanese American girl loses this bracelet somewhere along her journey--it is not shown where. At the end of the story, the young girl realizes that you don't have to have material possessions to remember and maintain a friendship. True friendships transcend material belongings. The illustrations are especially nice and in full color throughout.

This is a wonderful and beautifully illustrated book.
This is a wonderful story about friendship. A young Japanese girl is sent to an internment camp. Before she leaves an American friend of hers gives her a bracelet to remember her by. When the bracelet is lost, the little girl is heart broken. Later she realizes that one does not need material objects to symbolize a friendship. ... Read more

Book Description

Rufus is a bat who dreams of seeing daytime and all its beautiful colors. Therefore, instead of going to sleep one morning, he decides to venture out to see this world where not everything is black and gray. But, there are many dangers ahead.

Description in Spanish:

Rufus es un murciélago que desea vivir el día con sus hermosos colores. Así que mañana, en lugar de irse a dormir, sale para conocer un mundo en el que no todo es gris y negro, sin imaginar los peligros que le aguardan. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Rufus:A lesson in acceptance of one's own self.
This was one of my favorite books to read to my daughter when she was small.We revelled to find it in the Monterey (CA) Public Library when she was a "cool" teenager.I had forgotten the exact title and the author's name.We've been looking for it for ages and are thrilled that we have now located it so that the next generation of our family can read and enjoy it (her almost five year old son)!It is, as I said, a simple but clear message that one should accept one's own limitations and love themselves in spite of and because of them.In fact, one should CELEBRATE his or her own individuality!

Gotta Have it!
This was my favorite book as a child.We named every gray cat we ever had "Rufus" because of this book. This story has stayed with me my entire life.I have to find a copy!

This is a wonderful children's story.
This was my favorite book as a child, and now I want to have a copy for my own children. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Story For Growing Up
I love a book that makes you think about "why" we should be righteous people. Rinko was just a typical American girl and to be ripped out of her daily life and get a taste of another culture is what every mother would love for her kids! As a mother of 4 sons, I can see my boys doing the things these boys did - and I can understand their adventureous souls! To see how Rinko changes from a self-centered girl to a caring girl is something that I would wish on all children.
Having lived in Japan while I was in Junior High School, I have always loved books with Japanese themes.
This is a good book and I loved the movie too!

Fantastic Book
If you like realistic stories and something which you can compare to yourself, you would love the Best Bad Thing. Once you read a chapter you will not want to stop. Why I loved this book is because I could relate to it. This book has some very funny humor in it.
Now it is hard to sum up the story without giving it away, but I can give you a brief review.
This story is about a girl named Rinko who is going to have to go to Mrs. Hata's for the summer. Why will she have to go? Because Mr. Hata has died (Mrs. Hata's husband). Everybody thinks that Mrs. Hata is crazy. Rinko does not want to go, she thinks it is bad, but then something makes this one of the best summers ever.
One last thing. In this story there are many suprises. So if you would like to read a great, humorous, realistic, and suprising story, you should read: The Best Bad Thing.

The best review
i think it was a very good book.it taught children to listen to their parents

Nothing is as bad as it first seems
I was intrigued by this story for 2 reasons: 1) it details life in Oakland California during the depression period, when there were still farms in the hills. 2) it was made into a famous Japanese (NHK) television drama despite the fact that the story concentrates more on the "lost summer" of the protaganist Rinko, rather than her Japanese ancestry.

For those who saw the Japanese drama (it was later subtitled and broadcasted in California on PBS and Channel 26), I recommend you read the book as there are some differences in the story. For young readers, I encourage the reading of this book as it describes a time in America when the joys of life were more simple and not marred by gang violence and drugs.

This book was good, but not great.
Lacie Allen: I found this book to be interesting, and easy to read, but overall it was not exciting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good-easy-to-read stories. ... Read more

Book Description

‘A highly diverting picture book about an agreeable pet boa constrictor that earns the affection and gratitude of a French village.’ —BL. ‘Children will love it.’ —H.

Notable Children's Books of 1940–1959 (ALA)
1959 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
A Reading Rainbow Selection
1958 Children's Spring Book Festival Prize (NY Herald Tribune) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wonderful memories!
Oh, I LOVE this book! It is from the 50's, and SO well written! Instead of dumbing children down, it uses words that are more sophisticated. The story is hilarious! It uses pen and ink type drawings, which brought back so many pleasant memories! As a child, I didn't remember the story too well, but the pictures stayed in my mind, particularly the one of Crictor in what looks like a 10-foot long bed and wearing a 10-foot long armless sweater!!

This elderly lady receives a gift of a snake from her son in Africa. She is a teacher and brings Crictor to school, where he becomes a jump rope and slide for the kids. He also forms letters and numbers. He captures a burglar and the locals name a park after him!

One of my favorite books of all time!

An old-fashioned, wonderfully charming children's book
This was one of my favorite books growing up--I must have checked it out of the school library a dozen times. It's the adorable story of an old French woman who relies on a friendly boa to see her around Paris. Not only does it teach children not to judge other people -- or reptiles -- but the charming illustrations offer fun glimpses into the city of Paris. If you loved Madeline, you'll love this book. Buy one copy for your kids and one for yourself! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The camel and the eye of the needle
Nope.I missed this one as a kid.It's funny, because though I clearly remember seeing images from this book on the walls of libraries, cut out in bookstores, and displayed proudly in textbooks, I never read it myself.And you know what?It's an absolutely wonderful book that I am repeatedly regretting and regretting not having read.This story is right up my alley, and it's an amazing tale.In effect, it is a book about the power of redemption and the simplicity of doing what is right, no matter how late in the game.Said author/illustrator Tomi Ungerer himself, "Whatever the color of money, it is never too late to make good use of it".For me, this book is the story of how to make the most of your goods while you've got `em.

The tale concerns itself with the doings of three fierce black-clad robbers.Outfitted with a blunderbuss, a pepper-blower, and a huge red axe, the three had a pretty good gig going.One robber would stop carriage horses with his pepper spray, another would stop the carriage completely by destroying the wheels with an axe, and the third would rob the passengers by holding them up with his blunderbuss.Honestly?I just like writing the word blunderbuss.That's a great word.Anyway, one day the men stop a carriage containing a small orphan on her way to live with a "wicked aunt".They rescue her and take her home to live with them.When the child asks them what they intend to do with all of their money, the men are stumped.Their solution is round up all the, "lost, unhappy, and abandoned children" they can find, buy a castle, and move in with all the children.In the end the kids grow up and build three tall high-roofed towers in honor of their foster fathers, the three robbers.The end.

I don't really know why I love this tale as much as I do.Partly I think it has to do with the illustrations.The robbers are black on blue, their white eyes floating in front of invisible blue faces.Their weapons, colorfully displayed against a sharp black background, are a beautiful mixture of oranges, blues, and swirling reds.Cheery and intense.After they move in with the children, however, the black and blue palette changes completely and suddenly it's all bright reds (as the children are wearing) and deep spring greens.Accompanying this adept change of pace is Ungerer's text.The book never really explains the robbers' change of heart.One suspects they robbed without entirely knowing why they did so.And isn't that the case of most rich robbers?It is apparent that their care for the children is true and tender.I was especially attached to the shot of the once malevolent robber cradling the sleepy orphan girl in his warm cape as he took her home to stay.

The tale has a moral that changes with every reading.Suffice to say, for me this book was about the human heart.Sometimes it takes very little to change behaviors that once seemed so cold and logical.Any picture book that can present such an interpretation deserves a close reading."The Three Robbers" fits that bill nicely.

The Three Robbers
The Three Robbers is a cute book about three robbers who transform into semi-respectable people. These robbers (like all robbers) robbed people for a living. This particular set of robbers robbed carriages.

One night the robbers make a mistake. Instead of stopping a carriage full of rich people with money or rich jewelry, they `stopped a carriage that had but one passenger, an orphan named Tiffany.' Well Tiffany was delighted, and since the robbers didn't know what else to do they took her home to their hide-out where she promptly turned their world upside down by asking them what they planned to do with their wealth.

Realizing that they were doing nothing with their horded wealth, and that this was really a waste, they decide to buy a castle and bring to it all the `lost, unhappy, and abandoned children they could find.' These children grow up and marry, but as a testament to their benefactors build three towers.

I realize that this summary doesn't make this book sound all that great, but I like it. Also this summary seems to completely conflict with the editorial review. The editorial review is not really one for this book. If you look closely it is really a review for `Crictor; Moon Man'. It only gives a passing mention to `The Three Robbers' at the very bottom. The illustrations are bold and more often than not the page is black and the writing white. The story is told in a style that endears the book to me.

Loggie-log-log-log

I loved this book as a child!
It's been years since I've read this book, but as I recall, it was one ofthe most popular childrens books in my entire elementary school (in theearly 80's).It was almost impossible to find it on the shelf due to itspopularity.The illustrations were wonderful and the book was fun.Irecommend it highly. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Valuable life lessons
Because this is an autobiography, the reader should not expect a commercialized plot that is conjured just for effect. In its place, we get a true story of an American girl and her family who are trapped in the beaurocracy of war. Yoshi, her sister and her parents are imprisoned in Japanese internment camps during World War II and she describes the injustice, embarassment and blatant racism her family and over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans endure. The story evokes emotions concerning issues such as human rights vs. national security and ethnicity vs. patiriotism. Uchida writes in candid clear language with vivid decriptions that manage to convey the complex issues surrounding racism without being didactic.

Autobiography written for children
Yoshiko Uchida writes of her childhood, growing up in California as a Japanese American during World War II. She vividly describes her internment experience through the eyes of a young adult. This is an important book because it documents the Japanese American experience. It also reveals the strong Christian faith of this family. The story rings of truth and how an "average" person deals with adversity. This book only rates three stars because although the story is interesting, the plot was predictable. I was not left with a breathtaking feeling after reading this book. My favorite books leave me thinking about them for days or even weeks afterwards. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tomi Ungerer, illustrator of Jeff Brown's original Flat Stanley and winner of the prestigious 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award, paints the man in the moon as a benevolent, soft-bodied man who curls up in "his shimmering seat in space." Most evenings, he looks over longingly at the happy, dancing earth people, until one night when he can't resist catching the fiery tail of a comet and hitching a ride to Earth. Ungerer, ever satirical, reports the resulting frenzy of authorities upon hearing the crash landing: "The noise brought hundreds of people from a nearby town. Soldiers sped to defend the earth. Firemen hastened to quench the flaming light. The ice cream man hurried to set up his stand for the spectators." Of course, when the crowd discovers the unidentified fallen object, "statesmen, scientists, and generals panicked." Moon Man is thrown in jail, facing criminal investigation! How will he ever return to his lunar dwelling? Kids will love this quirky "there's no place like home" tale, and Ungerer's gentle, funny mocking of "important people" won't be lost on anyone.(Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Childhood classic
Thank God I bought this book before it went out of print. This was without a doubt one of my favorite books as a child. Never since has a book's illustrations so deftly captured the feel and character of the story. It is a book every child should experience and every adult should appreciate.

MOON MAN - Great Story!
Moon Man is a great book! It was my "favorite" book as a child. I discovered this book in my elementary library. I must have checked it out consecutively for two years. I filled many library check out cards.

I love this book because you really feel sorry for the Moon Man. He desperately wants to join us "earth people" but is not welcomed. He is constantly being chased for capture. Just a good vintage book with a great storyline!

Several years ago the school library was getting rid of the old books and my sister (a teacher there) brought this exact Moon Man book and gave it to me. In fact, till this day I still cherish this book and now share it with my two little daughters who also enjoy listening to me read it. ... Read more

Book Description

"Bunny Bunson Brittle goes fishing. He has no permit. Who cares? There are no fish." That's the first of Papa Snap's favorite "no such" stories, and there are plenty more to come. Unabashedly silly and often delightfully dark, these tales feature a host of fanciful characters -- from young Arson Twitch, who runs away with the family bathtub, to Uncle Rimsky, who finds that a dragon is the perfect cigar lighter. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This Book Is A Wonderful Experience
Oh my, where to begin? Papa Snap. He is a saviour, my friends, a saviour for children. Never have I seen a book this clever, and silly, and never have I seen such witty characters or colourful, imaginative illustrations. Papa Snap has given me the power to live again. I ask you, where would you find the adventures of Mr Limpid and Mrs Lame? Where would you find little Arson Twitch, or keen fisherman Bunny Bunson Brittle? Nowhere, but in the creative mind of Tommy Ungerer which has been brought to life in "I Am Papa Snap, And These Are My Favorite No Such Stories". A wonderful experience for kids and adults alike, let Papa Snap run through your veins! Hail PSAS!

If i could give it more stars... I would.
As I child, I enjoyed the tales of Lido Rancid and Bunny Bunson Brittle. Now as an adult I've come to respect the creative genius that is Tomi Ungerer.
These stories are way beyond their time. Ungerer combines childrens fairy tales with 60's psycheadilea.
This is a must buy for the youth of today. In my generation it caused an almost cult following.
Must buy!!!
My copy's getting kinda battered.
maybe i might buy a new on...

Quirky warm tales with a secular non-didactic morality
As a child of five fed these tales in the 70s, I loved them for their shortness, their weirdness, the quirky drawings and unexpected outcomes.As an adult I see it as a collection of fairy tales for children who don't grow up but reach their 30s knowing what a critical perspective is.If anybody can come up with anything more delicately miniature and heartwarming than the story of the Limpids well I take my hat off to them.But I won't sit on that sofa. ... Read more

Product Description

Contains full text of "Journey Home" plus 10 additional short works relating to topic. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

No Judging people
The book problem is that this girl Yuki is a Japanese girl that has had a tough life all in all but it gets even harder after she gets out of the * HOLDING CAMP* as they call it. This has taken place after World War II Yuki wants things to go back to the way they were before the war and people started to judge people. So many things change she wants to move back and have the same friends and know the same people, but they had to go on with there lives and make new friends. So they move to a church and make new friends and start there lives over. After this they start a business but something tragic happens to it so back to the beginning.
I loved this book it gave me more insight on the war and tough me that the U.S. did not always choose the best decisions. It was sad but very interesting to read. I learned how it would be for these and other cultures to live through racism. It also showed how people forgave other people and how they did not judge. This was a great book and maybe the best book I ever read.

Home at Last!
Home at Last!

Journey Home is a great book to read. Young children will love the book and will learn the hard times the Japanese had together.
The books main character is a young Japanese girl named Yuki.
During the war Yuki and her family got sent away to a concentration camp. Her father was told to leave their family and join the army.
While at camp Ken decides he and a friend also want to go serve in the army. A year passes and Yuki and her mother are still at camp. Papa comes back, just as a train comes. Yuki, her mother, and her father go on the train back home. When they are at home Ken called to tell them he is in the hospital. He came home a little later and everyone was worried. Yuki was sad but things had to be done. Papa and a friend were working in a corner market grocery store together and Yuki and mother helped too.
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me turning the pages until I was done. The reason I think this book is a four star book and not a five star book is because sometimes when the characters were talking it got to be a bit boring. I also didn't like how the author told a lot of the same things over again.

MY FAVORITE BOOK, ALONG WITH JOURNEY TO TOPAZ
This is the best book ever. It is about a young girl, Yuki, who is sent to a few Japanese concentration camp. She deals with many of the hardships that the Japanese faced during this important period of American/Japanese history. This book made me cry, laugh, and learn. It is EXTREMELY well written, and i would reccomend this book to anybody, and i already do. If you are planning to read this book, make sure you read Journey to Topaz first, also by Yoshiko Uchida.

On to California
This book takes place during WWII. The main character Yuki and her family are placed in a concentration camp in Utah. They are longingly hoping to get out of the camp and to go home to Berkeley, California. When they were relocated to the concentration camp they had to sell their house. Finally after a year or more they get to go home, but not to their old house. While at camp, they decided they would stay at their old Japanese Church along with other displaced families until they could find work and a place of their own.
This book was good, I guess. It was sort of boring at parts! Which, it lost my interest. Who wants to read about a girl named Yuki? Other than those reasons, it was good. It told what it might have been in the 1940's during WWII.

Journey Home
I say that this book has an interesting way of explaining the history of Japanese Amaricans.It is one of the best books I've read. ... Read more

Book Description

For weeks now, all the children in town have been hiding in trunks, barrels, and basements to avoid becoming the hungry ogre's breakfast. All the children, that is, except one, Zeralda, who lives in a clearing in the woods and doesn't know much about ogres. But then this ogre doesn't know very much about Zeralda, either! When they finally come face to face, marvelously funny things begin to happen. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Scrumptious!
A grumpy pirate-like Ogre terrorizes a peasant village shutting down shops, markets and even schools because of his appetite for children. Zeralda, the daughter of a poor working man loves to cook. She cooks such great dishes that when her father falls ill and she is forced to go to market in his place she is able to save the day. Rescuing the hungry Ogre from his own clumsiness and his irrational appetite, Zeralda gives him tastes he never forgets. Soon all the Ogres want what's in Zeralda's kitchen. None want it as much as Zeralda's Ogre though. In a surprise and twisted ending, she marries him. If Disney can pull it off with Shrek, then author Tomi Ungerer should get accolades for her work too. I read this story to a large group of preschoolers and they really enjoyed it.

A good sitting on daddy's knee bed-time story
The subject is very Grimm's fairy tale, an ogre that eats children; the tone, and the illustrations, are not. The ogre is shown walking down the village street with a bag over his shoulder, a child's arm is sticking out! But the picture includes lots of other details - children being hidden in cellars, and a depessed looking teacher in gown and mortarboard; the text with this picture says that children went into hiding, schools shut and teachers were unemployed. The light tone fits the story-line, which is, that the ogre accidentally comes to taste young Zeralda's wonderful cooking, goes off eating children, and they have a long, happy, life, spent throwing extravagent dinner parties (a lavish sample menu is illustrated).

A real gem
This classic book is one of my childhood favorites. Growing up, it reached mythic proportions in my memory. I recently bought it for my 2-year-old daughter, and she loves it too. It's a memorable tale of a nasty ogre who craves little children until a guileless girl converts him with her prodigy-like culinary genius.

Zeralda's Ogre is great on a number of different levels. It has a scary element that I loved when I was a kid - kind of a Grimm's Fairy Tale aspect. Now that I'm a grown-up, I recognize a terrific sly sense of humor in it as well. The illustrations are great - filled with fun little details (bugs, lizards, etc.) that little ones like to seek out. And the descriptions of Zeralda's masterpieces are great.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough - I just wish the hardcover was still in print! ... Read more

Book Description

Tomi Ungerer's intrepid family of pigs faces new challenges in this delightful tale first published in 1958. Bad-tasting water from a woodland brook prompts Mr. Mellop to look for oil, a decision that leads to a gushing well promising great riches -- until a raging forest fire intervenes. But not to worry. By the end of the story, the Mellops are safely back home enjoying cake and ice cream. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Robber barons writing children's books?
I found this book to be appallingly outdated. The Mellopsdrill for oil in the forest while the mom cheerfully "practicesout door cooking" and then all must flee when a passing motorist carelessly sets a forest fire. This book, written in 1958 when Standard Oil was king and women were third class citizens, is 1950s pulp and remains in the past--not on any child's bookshelf. Although it could serve as a good example of how far society has come in understanding and environmental awareness.

"Adorable!"
This book was one of my sisters' and my favorites when we were kids about 30 years ago.

I particularly remember that in the illustrations, each pig in the family had a "gimmick" that carried throughout the book. (One little pig is always shown from the rear; one always has a flower in his mouth.) I also remember how clever each member of the family was, and how they stuck together through thick and thin.

The I can't wait until this one comes back in print so I can read it to my children. ... Read more