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A Scarf for Keiko
It's 1942. Sam's class is knitting socks for soldiers and Sam is a terrible knitter. Keiko is a good knitter, but some kids at school don't want anything to do with her because the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor and her family is Japanese American. When Keiko's family is forced to move to a camp for Japanese Americans, can Sam find a way to demonstrate his friendship?
-- "Journal"
-- "Journal"
32 pages, Library Binding
First published February 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
December 30, 2020
A stirring Message
This was a wonderful book about the mistreatment of japanese-americans in WwII. Will try hour being preachy, the author draws readers into the experiences encountered by Japanese in America during that timeframe.
I think the short book is full of powerful points about American citizens who were born in Japen. The war was not theirs but they were impacted by hate.
Good book. I recommend.
This was a wonderful book about the mistreatment of japanese-americans in WwII. Will try hour being preachy, the author draws readers into the experiences encountered by Japanese in America during that timeframe.
I think the short book is full of powerful points about American citizens who were born in Japen. The war was not theirs but they were impacted by hate.
Good book. I recommend.
August 17, 2020
I love being an American but so much of our history sucks. I’m glad books like these exist for children to learn about our history and develop empathy from it.
December 22, 2020
Sam and Keiko are neighbours and they also go to the same school. Sam is Jewish and Keiko is Japanese-American. This story takes place in 1941 when American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Sam's brother Mike is fighting in the war. At school Sam and Keiko along with other kids knit stuff for the soldiers. Keiko is good at it but Sam struggles. Keiko offers to help him but he declines as no one talks to Japanese people anymore since the war declaration.
Sam learns that Keiko's family much like all the other Japanese-American families is being moved to an internment camp in the desert because the government thinks that people with Japanese ancestors are spies. Keiko has left knitted socks for Mike and her bike for Sam to use until she gets back and that's when Sam realises that he should knit a scarf for Keiko as she would need it to keep warm.
It was such an emotional story conveying how people have suffered racism and xenophobia and still continue to suffer even today. I loved this simple story with equally simple illustrations but the message it conveys is very important and powerful. There should be more books like these for kids in my opinion.
4.5 stars
Sam learns that Keiko's family much like all the other Japanese-American families is being moved to an internment camp in the desert because the government thinks that people with Japanese ancestors are spies. Keiko has left knitted socks for Mike and her bike for Sam to use until she gets back and that's when Sam realises that he should knit a scarf for Keiko as she would need it to keep warm.
It was such an emotional story conveying how people have suffered racism and xenophobia and still continue to suffer even today. I loved this simple story with equally simple illustrations but the message it conveys is very important and powerful. There should be more books like these for kids in my opinion.
4.5 stars
April 23, 2019
Heartbreaking story of a family forced to move to a camp for Japanese Americans even as the little girl (Keiko) is knitting socks for US soldiers; really makes you think about who we let define who the 'enemy' is and why we go along with the definition.
September 21, 2020
A great story but how did the copy editor miss the glaring error in the author note citing December 6, 1941 as the date of the Pearl Harbor attack?
December 14, 2020
A Scarf for Keiko tells the story of Sam, a young boy living in 1942. His classmate, Keiko, is Japanese American, and is eventually sent to an internment camp with her family. Sam finds a way to show Keiko that he's still her friend.
This is an important story that needs to be told (and retold), especially today when governments are so willing to use propaganda to demonize one group of people and turn others against them. The internment of those of Japanese descent happened in the United States, as is mentioned in the author's note, but it also happened in Canada along a similar timeline. My grandmother went to school with a girl who, along with her family, was forced to give up nearly everything and move away from the Pacific coast... for "safety" reasons (people of Japanese descent were assumed to be Japanese spies). Only years later did the governments of the two countries finally apologize for what they'd done to these innocent people.
This book is a simple story, with basic illustrations in a limited colour palette. I can't say that I'm enamoured with the aesthetic of the book, although the muted colours do suggest the 1940s.
Still, I think this is an important book for kids to read. I haven't come across a lot of picture books that explore this particular event in history. It's important to remember what can happen when fear and xenophobia are allowed to go unchecked... and that just because a government orders something, it doesn't make it right.
Quotable moment:
This is an important story that needs to be told (and retold), especially today when governments are so willing to use propaganda to demonize one group of people and turn others against them. The internment of those of Japanese descent happened in the United States, as is mentioned in the author's note, but it also happened in Canada along a similar timeline. My grandmother went to school with a girl who, along with her family, was forced to give up nearly everything and move away from the Pacific coast... for "safety" reasons (people of Japanese descent were assumed to be Japanese spies). Only years later did the governments of the two countries finally apologize for what they'd done to these innocent people.
This book is a simple story, with basic illustrations in a limited colour palette. I can't say that I'm enamoured with the aesthetic of the book, although the muted colours do suggest the 1940s.
Still, I think this is an important book for kids to read. I haven't come across a lot of picture books that explore this particular event in history. It's important to remember what can happen when fear and xenophobia are allowed to go unchecked... and that just because a government orders something, it doesn't make it right.
Quotable moment:
January 11, 2021
#3 in 365 Kids Books challenge and bid to get back on the Top 100 Readers list for full explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia
An age-appropriate way to address that governments will do cruel and inhumane things, things they will later regret, apologize for, and make reparations for. The idea of our republic is that we shall debate issues reasonably, fairly, giving careful thought. Theoretically we learn from past errors and then don't make them again.
As this story reminds us, there are ways we can be kind individually when we are stupid and cruel nationally.
After hardly writing reviews at all last year, I am weirdly chatty this year. This doesn't bode well for my project.
Library copy
An age-appropriate way to address that governments will do cruel and inhumane things, things they will later regret, apologize for, and make reparations for. The idea of our republic is that we shall debate issues reasonably, fairly, giving careful thought. Theoretically we learn from past errors and then don't make them again.
As this story reminds us, there are ways we can be kind individually when we are stupid and cruel nationally.
After hardly writing reviews at all last year, I am weirdly chatty this year. This doesn't bode well for my project.
Library copy
February 14, 2021
Sadly, the banishment Japanese-Americans suffered on U.S. soil during WWII is akin to what was happening to Jewish families in Europe at the same time. Fear causes people to do awful things. Fear, and superiority. A Scarf for Keiko is a gentle exploration for anyone with either a little or a lot of knowledge on this subject.
In the story, Keiko is a young girl doing her bit for the war effort by knitting socks. Unfortunately, her family is soon sent away, simply because they are of Japanese descent and America is afraid after Pearl Harbor. A Jewish boy in Keiko's class witnesses this injustice and struggles to react. How do you show friendship when the country is urging suspicion?
Unlike some Goodreads reviewers, I think children will connect with this picture book, even if they don't fully grasp the historical context. Kids understand friendship; they probably know a friend who has moved away, too. The thorough Author's Note will help to illuminate further details, if desired.
In the story, Keiko is a young girl doing her bit for the war effort by knitting socks. Unfortunately, her family is soon sent away, simply because they are of Japanese descent and America is afraid after Pearl Harbor. A Jewish boy in Keiko's class witnesses this injustice and struggles to react. How do you show friendship when the country is urging suspicion?
Unlike some Goodreads reviewers, I think children will connect with this picture book, even if they don't fully grasp the historical context. Kids understand friendship; they probably know a friend who has moved away, too. The thorough Author's Note will help to illuminate further details, if desired.
May 8, 2024
This book does not do justice to the topic of Japanese internment. Please read many of the other amazing children's picture books written by Japanese Americans who have experienced internment directly themselves or through their families' stories. My book recommendations are provided at the end of this review.
A Scarf for Keiko by Ann Malaspina is told from the viewpoint of a white character named Sam. I was apprehensive that a white author would appropriately cover Japanese Internment. I was not contradicted in my disappointment. Ann Malaspina fails to tell this story appropriately throughout all the events included in this story.
On page three, Sam refuses to talk to Keiko when she tried to help him with his knitting. The reason given is that Sam's friends refuse to talk to Japanese American students at their school because President Roosevelt had declared war on Japan. Nothing here affirms that his friends are wrong. A child could get the wrong impression that these white children are correct in not talking to the Japanese students because America is at war with Japan. This is the issue with having this event in history told through the perspective of a white child.
Sam then witnesses Keiko having eggs thrown at her from cars while she is riding her bike. The teenager yells at her, "Go back to Japan." Because we are seeing this through Sam's perspective we don't get any discourse on how Keiko is feeling. Books on this topic written by authors with Japanese American ancestors would have included the commentary that Keiko was born in America. She would have had never been to Japan and wouldn't even speak Japanese. She wouldn't understand why someone would be shouting at her to go back to Japan. Since we don't have the Japanese perspective we don't have this important piece when telling this story.
Sam has to go to the flower shop for his mom. He passes Mr. Saito sweeping up glass in front of his grocery store. The illustration shows broken glass and a handmade "I Am An American" hung on the building. Sam continues on his journey and arrives at the flower shop to find that the shop has been boarded up. "Go Back to Japan" has been graffitied onto the sign. Again the author had an opportunity here to help the reader sympathize with Japanese Americans. Instead we are given the narrative that Sam isn't able to complete the errand of getting flowers for his mom. One could incorrectly take away a message of poor Sam - he has been inconvenienced by the flower shop being closed. He must wish he was able to get the flowers his mom wanted. The author should be helping the readers feel for the Japanese American shop owners who are not able to continue running their businesses because of the racism they are facing just because they had ancestors that had come from Japan a long time ago.
Finally at dinner, Sam's family is discussing that President Roosevelt is worried that people with Japanese ancestors are spies. Sam speaks up for the first time in the story and says that Keiko isn't a spy. He parents affirm this and say the Saitos are good Americans and the best neighbors. Again the author lacks the ability to properly have the family discuss how unfairly Japanese Americans are being treated.
The story continues with Sam finding out that Keiko's family had been sent away to an internment camp in the desert. I will sarcastically say that now Sam becomes the hero of the story because he decides to knit Keiko a scarf and send it to her while she is at the internment camp. The story ends here. Because this is from Sam's view we don't learn of the Japanese American experience here. Japanese Americans were given very little notice and had to leave their homes, businesses, pets, and many cherished items behind. Families were given identification tags they were forced to wear and packed into cargo trains. The barracks at these camps were dusty, plain, and drafty. Families were crammed into tiny shacks without running water. There was barbed wires and watchtowers with guarded men watching Japanese Americans. It was essentially a prision.
Again, here I find myself furious at the lack of insight from Ann Malaspina and she should not have written this book at all because of the injustice she is doing to the experiences of Japanese Americans at this time in history. I am also disappointed in the publisher, Kar-Ben Publishing, for publishing this book.
Children's Books that do this topic justice
- The Bracelet
- Baseball Saved Us
- A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (砂漠に咲いたひまわり) Japanese/ English Bilingual
- So Far from the Sea
- Barbed Wire Baseball
- Fish for Jimmy: Inspired by One Family's Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp
- Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
- Love in the Library
Educate Yourself on Japanese Americans' treatment and conditions
https://www.britannica.com/event/Japa...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internm...
A Scarf for Keiko by Ann Malaspina is told from the viewpoint of a white character named Sam. I was apprehensive that a white author would appropriately cover Japanese Internment. I was not contradicted in my disappointment. Ann Malaspina fails to tell this story appropriately throughout all the events included in this story.
On page three, Sam refuses to talk to Keiko when she tried to help him with his knitting. The reason given is that Sam's friends refuse to talk to Japanese American students at their school because President Roosevelt had declared war on Japan. Nothing here affirms that his friends are wrong. A child could get the wrong impression that these white children are correct in not talking to the Japanese students because America is at war with Japan. This is the issue with having this event in history told through the perspective of a white child.
Sam then witnesses Keiko having eggs thrown at her from cars while she is riding her bike. The teenager yells at her, "Go back to Japan." Because we are seeing this through Sam's perspective we don't get any discourse on how Keiko is feeling. Books on this topic written by authors with Japanese American ancestors would have included the commentary that Keiko was born in America. She would have had never been to Japan and wouldn't even speak Japanese. She wouldn't understand why someone would be shouting at her to go back to Japan. Since we don't have the Japanese perspective we don't have this important piece when telling this story.
Sam has to go to the flower shop for his mom. He passes Mr. Saito sweeping up glass in front of his grocery store. The illustration shows broken glass and a handmade "I Am An American" hung on the building. Sam continues on his journey and arrives at the flower shop to find that the shop has been boarded up. "Go Back to Japan" has been graffitied onto the sign. Again the author had an opportunity here to help the reader sympathize with Japanese Americans. Instead we are given the narrative that Sam isn't able to complete the errand of getting flowers for his mom. One could incorrectly take away a message of poor Sam - he has been inconvenienced by the flower shop being closed. He must wish he was able to get the flowers his mom wanted. The author should be helping the readers feel for the Japanese American shop owners who are not able to continue running their businesses because of the racism they are facing just because they had ancestors that had come from Japan a long time ago.
Finally at dinner, Sam's family is discussing that President Roosevelt is worried that people with Japanese ancestors are spies. Sam speaks up for the first time in the story and says that Keiko isn't a spy. He parents affirm this and say the Saitos are good Americans and the best neighbors. Again the author lacks the ability to properly have the family discuss how unfairly Japanese Americans are being treated.
The story continues with Sam finding out that Keiko's family had been sent away to an internment camp in the desert. I will sarcastically say that now Sam becomes the hero of the story because he decides to knit Keiko a scarf and send it to her while she is at the internment camp. The story ends here. Because this is from Sam's view we don't learn of the Japanese American experience here. Japanese Americans were given very little notice and had to leave their homes, businesses, pets, and many cherished items behind. Families were given identification tags they were forced to wear and packed into cargo trains. The barracks at these camps were dusty, plain, and drafty. Families were crammed into tiny shacks without running water. There was barbed wires and watchtowers with guarded men watching Japanese Americans. It was essentially a prision.
Again, here I find myself furious at the lack of insight from Ann Malaspina and she should not have written this book at all because of the injustice she is doing to the experiences of Japanese Americans at this time in history. I am also disappointed in the publisher, Kar-Ben Publishing, for publishing this book.
Children's Books that do this topic justice
- The Bracelet
- Baseball Saved Us
- A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (砂漠に咲いたひまわり) Japanese/ English Bilingual
- So Far from the Sea
- Barbed Wire Baseball
- Fish for Jimmy: Inspired by One Family's Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp
- Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment
- Love in the Library
Educate Yourself on Japanese Americans' treatment and conditions
https://www.britannica.com/event/Japa...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internm...
December 5, 2020
Cocok dibaca pas musim dingin!
Kagum bgt sama Sam yang walaupun masih kecil tapiii gak menggeneralisir kalau semua orang Jepang sama! Rasism memang diajarkan ya, no one born with that. Lucky Sam karena dibesarkan oleh ortu yang hebat dan baik bgt sama keluarga Saito Keiko.
Aku juga bangga sama Sam karena gak menyerah untuk terus mencoba knitting dan akhirnya berhasil membuat sesuatu yang istimewa buat Keiko di akhir 😊
Novel ini, walaupun singkat, tapi ilustrasinya bagus dan ceritanya bermakna!
Kagum bgt sama Sam yang walaupun masih kecil tapiii gak menggeneralisir kalau semua orang Jepang sama! Rasism memang diajarkan ya, no one born with that. Lucky Sam karena dibesarkan oleh ortu yang hebat dan baik bgt sama keluarga Saito Keiko.
Aku juga bangga sama Sam karena gak menyerah untuk terus mencoba knitting dan akhirnya berhasil membuat sesuatu yang istimewa buat Keiko di akhir 😊
Novel ini, walaupun singkat, tapi ilustrasinya bagus dan ceritanya bermakna!
February 7, 2021
A Scarf for Keiko was a really nice story. Though I do wish it touched more on what the main character did learn and take away from his friendship with Keiko, it showed a nice perspective. As a reader, especially a child reader, you wonder why would they treat this young girl in a way when they know she is a good person? You can see why the author wrote the book, to show how some people can act in any given situation. A feel as an adult you can use this book to spark conversation within the classroom. Ask the kids how do they feel about the main character, Keiko, and why they think the main character was feeling and acting in the way he was. A scarf for Keiko is a nice conversation starter.
November 17, 2020
It’s a heavy topic for kids, but very important for them to learn about. Racism can present itself in many forms and has for centuries, this book is a history and social lesson all in one. 5 stars.
December 2, 2019
Ever since President Roosevelt had declared war on Japan on December 7, 1941, the kids in Sam's class have stopped talking to the Japanese American kids at school. Now, Sam's whole class are learning to knit so they can make scarves and socks for the soldiers who are fighting in the war, including Sam's older brother.
But Sam hates knitting and he isn't very good at it, unlike Keiko Saito, whom he's know for years and who sits next to him in school and is a great knitter. But whenever she offers to help him, he refuses. In fact, Sam now refuses to have anything to do with Keiko, even after witnessing her being harassed by a teenager as she rode her bike home from school.
But when Sam's mom sends him to the flower shop for some flowers for Shabbat, he sees that Mr. Saito's grocery has been vandalized and Go Back to Japan is written on the closed flower shop. During the Shabbat meal, Sam's dad tells him and him mom that President Roosevelt has decided going to send people of Japanese ancestry away, fearing they might be spies for Japan.
On Monday, Keiko isn't in school, but Sam sees her after school, knitting in front of her house. At home, Sam's mom tells him the Saito have to pack and leave soon, taking only what they can carry and she has volunteered to care for Mrs. Saito's lovely tea set. On the morning after the Saitos have left, Sam finds Keiko's bike in front of his house with a note for him to use it while she's away and a pair of hand knit socks for his brother Mike.
Thinking that Keiko will be cold where she is in the desert, Sam is determined to learn how to knit something to send her: a lovely red scarf to keep her warm.
A Scarf for Keiko is a great story about tolerance and how easy it is to be swayed by friends into turning on good neighbors and friends because they are being portrayed as being un-American simply for being who they are. It also shows how conflicted Sam is about no longer being friends with Keiko, whose family has been such good neighbors with his family, and the way his brother Mike helped Keiko fix her bike, and then not speaking up when he sees injustice all around him. He conflict is increased when his mother reminds the family that her sisters in Poland are in danger because they are Jewish and that Mike is in danger as a soldier.
The simple illustrations add much to the story and are done in a muted palette of blues, browns, greys, and touches of red that give a retro feeling. Faces are a bit exaggerated so that they reflect the wide spectrum of character's emotions - fear, conflict, worry, sadness, hate, kindness, even happiness.
A Scarf for Keiko is a great picture book for older readers who may be old enough to have witnessed acts of intolerance in today's world and are also conflicted about what is happening.
Back matter includes an Author's Note that explains why and how people of Japanese ancestry, including Japanese Americans like Keiko and her family, were put in internment camps by President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066. I need to mention that there is a typo here, stating the date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as December 6, 1941, when in reality it was December 7, 1941. Other than that typo, this is an excellent book to share with young readers.
Teachers and students can find a useful downloadable Activity Guide for this book Here
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
But Sam hates knitting and he isn't very good at it, unlike Keiko Saito, whom he's know for years and who sits next to him in school and is a great knitter. But whenever she offers to help him, he refuses. In fact, Sam now refuses to have anything to do with Keiko, even after witnessing her being harassed by a teenager as she rode her bike home from school.
But when Sam's mom sends him to the flower shop for some flowers for Shabbat, he sees that Mr. Saito's grocery has been vandalized and Go Back to Japan is written on the closed flower shop. During the Shabbat meal, Sam's dad tells him and him mom that President Roosevelt has decided going to send people of Japanese ancestry away, fearing they might be spies for Japan.
On Monday, Keiko isn't in school, but Sam sees her after school, knitting in front of her house. At home, Sam's mom tells him the Saito have to pack and leave soon, taking only what they can carry and she has volunteered to care for Mrs. Saito's lovely tea set. On the morning after the Saitos have left, Sam finds Keiko's bike in front of his house with a note for him to use it while she's away and a pair of hand knit socks for his brother Mike.
Thinking that Keiko will be cold where she is in the desert, Sam is determined to learn how to knit something to send her: a lovely red scarf to keep her warm.
A Scarf for Keiko is a great story about tolerance and how easy it is to be swayed by friends into turning on good neighbors and friends because they are being portrayed as being un-American simply for being who they are. It also shows how conflicted Sam is about no longer being friends with Keiko, whose family has been such good neighbors with his family, and the way his brother Mike helped Keiko fix her bike, and then not speaking up when he sees injustice all around him. He conflict is increased when his mother reminds the family that her sisters in Poland are in danger because they are Jewish and that Mike is in danger as a soldier.
The simple illustrations add much to the story and are done in a muted palette of blues, browns, greys, and touches of red that give a retro feeling. Faces are a bit exaggerated so that they reflect the wide spectrum of character's emotions - fear, conflict, worry, sadness, hate, kindness, even happiness.
A Scarf for Keiko is a great picture book for older readers who may be old enough to have witnessed acts of intolerance in today's world and are also conflicted about what is happening.
Back matter includes an Author's Note that explains why and how people of Japanese ancestry, including Japanese Americans like Keiko and her family, were put in internment camps by President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066. I need to mention that there is a typo here, stating the date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as December 6, 1941, when in reality it was December 7, 1941. Other than that typo, this is an excellent book to share with young readers.
Teachers and students can find a useful downloadable Activity Guide for this book Here
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
January 24, 2019
This is such a great children's book. It held my children's interest very well and also taught them a lot and gave them some things to think about. This is a story about two neighbors who face uncertainty and discrimination during World War II.
The book helps to teach children empathy and compassion. It also highlights a difficult time in US history and doesn't gloss over the dark reality of prejudices and internment camps. It's important for kids to learn about the times we got it wrong so that they can help make the world a better place in the future.
The author's note at the end of the book shares important historical facts and information that will help children understand the story and the situation clearer.
I received a copy of this book from Kar-Ben Publishing. #ReadYourWorld
The book helps to teach children empathy and compassion. It also highlights a difficult time in US history and doesn't gloss over the dark reality of prejudices and internment camps. It's important for kids to learn about the times we got it wrong so that they can help make the world a better place in the future.
The author's note at the end of the book shares important historical facts and information that will help children understand the story and the situation clearer.
I received a copy of this book from Kar-Ben Publishing. #ReadYourWorld
November 27, 2020
Sebuah pertemanan yang terjalin ketika saling kehilangan huhuhu emang ya kita baru terasa seseorang berarti saat kehilangan. Tapi latar cerita di sini nyata saat terjadi perang antara Amerika dengan Jepang, penduduk Jepang yang tinggal di Amerika terganggu dengan ancaman pengusiran. Semoga persahabatan kalian tetap terjalin di anak-anak polos korban perang lainnya💙
February 15, 2021
I get that this is a kid's book but it's weird how they refer to the internment camps as "just going away for a while". I don't know how they rationalized it back then though. The book was depressing and it's not how I would approach the topic with a child but it could get the conversation going.
February 8, 2024
A Scarf for Keiko mengambil latar di tahun 1940 an saat kondisi Amerika dan Jepang memanas.
Keiko merupakan perempuan berkebangsaan Amerika yang memiliki keturunan Jepang. Di sekolah,
Keiko kerap menerima perilaku yang tidak menyenangkan, dikucilkan, bahkan rasis.
Di pelajaran menjahit, Sam merasa kesulitan membuat rajutan kaus kaki yang akan dikirimkan kepada kakaknya, Mike yang sedang berperang. Melihat itu, Keiko ingin membantu, namun Sam langsung menolak mengingat Keiko yang dijauhi oleh teman-temannya.
Perilaku rasis yang diterima Keiko terus berlanjut di luar sekolah. Sam mulai khawatir dan memikirkan Keiko.
Hingga perang antara Amerika dan Jepang meledak, Keiko dan keluarganya harus dipindahkan ke kamp konsentrasi untuk menghindari kekacauan terhadap keturunan Jepang.
Selama Keiko jauh, Sam membuat syal untuk Keiko.
Wow, ga nyangka di dalam cerita anak ternyata mengangkat permasalahan yang pelik di zamannya 👏
Sejujurnya aku ga begitu suka sejarah, tapi karena dikemas menjadi cerita yang menarik, aku sampe searching2 apa sih artinya Internment Camp.
Jadi Internment Camp atau Kamp Konsentrasi adalah relokasi paksa terhadap warga Amerika keturunan Jepang selama Perang Dunia ke-2. Hal ini dilakukan karena setelah serangan Jepang di Pearl Harbour, orang Amerika keturunan Jepang dicurigai menjadi agen mata-mata bagi Jepang. Untuk menjaga keamanan nasional, maka dibuatlah Kamp Konsentrasi untuk mengawasi orang keturunan Jepang di Amerika.
Nah kan jadi bahas sejarah 😅
Hal yang bisa dijadikan refleksi adalah sebuah persahabatan tidak terbatas dari segala ras dan latar belakang. Seperti halnya Sam dan Keiko. Rasanya banyak kisah persahabatan yang terhambat atau bahkan kandas karena situasi perang. Sedih 😭
Keiko merupakan perempuan berkebangsaan Amerika yang memiliki keturunan Jepang. Di sekolah,
Keiko kerap menerima perilaku yang tidak menyenangkan, dikucilkan, bahkan rasis.
Di pelajaran menjahit, Sam merasa kesulitan membuat rajutan kaus kaki yang akan dikirimkan kepada kakaknya, Mike yang sedang berperang. Melihat itu, Keiko ingin membantu, namun Sam langsung menolak mengingat Keiko yang dijauhi oleh teman-temannya.
Perilaku rasis yang diterima Keiko terus berlanjut di luar sekolah. Sam mulai khawatir dan memikirkan Keiko.
Hingga perang antara Amerika dan Jepang meledak, Keiko dan keluarganya harus dipindahkan ke kamp konsentrasi untuk menghindari kekacauan terhadap keturunan Jepang.
Selama Keiko jauh, Sam membuat syal untuk Keiko.
Wow, ga nyangka di dalam cerita anak ternyata mengangkat permasalahan yang pelik di zamannya 👏
Sejujurnya aku ga begitu suka sejarah, tapi karena dikemas menjadi cerita yang menarik, aku sampe searching2 apa sih artinya Internment Camp.
Jadi Internment Camp atau Kamp Konsentrasi adalah relokasi paksa terhadap warga Amerika keturunan Jepang selama Perang Dunia ke-2. Hal ini dilakukan karena setelah serangan Jepang di Pearl Harbour, orang Amerika keturunan Jepang dicurigai menjadi agen mata-mata bagi Jepang. Untuk menjaga keamanan nasional, maka dibuatlah Kamp Konsentrasi untuk mengawasi orang keturunan Jepang di Amerika.
Nah kan jadi bahas sejarah 😅
Hal yang bisa dijadikan refleksi adalah sebuah persahabatan tidak terbatas dari segala ras dan latar belakang. Seperti halnya Sam dan Keiko. Rasanya banyak kisah persahabatan yang terhambat atau bahkan kandas karena situasi perang. Sedih 😭
August 25, 2020
As an Asian American student myself I really enjoyed this book and how informative it was. It talked about topics such as diversity and racism in a way that children can understand and learn from. Children can really take in the lessons being told such as not judging someone based on their skin color. I liked how even a children's book can affect me and even make me connect to the characters. It made me sad how Keiko was a only a kid but still experienced racism from others. It teaches kindness and sympathy which I believe is an important lesson for children to learn and keep as they grow older.
November 19, 2020
This is a great book at an accessible level for kids about the Japanese internment camps in the US during World War 2. It’s about the friendship of two kids, one of whom is Japanese American. It does a good job, between the book itself and the historical note at the end, of explaining the context of the war, why the order was given, and how Japanese American families were unfairly forced to give up their homes and jobs because of it. I think a lot of kids will easily understand how unfair it was, but the book doesn’t provide too many specific details of life in the camps so that part can be learned when they’re older.
Also, the illustrations are beautiful.
Also, the illustrations are beautiful.
October 1, 2020
This is a brilliant example of the types of texts we need to be incorporating into our school libraries. Although I can’t relate to the Japanese American experience, it’s so important to expose adults and children to the complex histories of the people around us. It’s an excellent way of raising awareness and encouraging empathy for people of all races, cultures, and sexualities.
A lovely little book for the entire family to enjoy. Sweet illustrations and a glimpse of Japanese American history after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
A lovely little book for the entire family to enjoy. Sweet illustrations and a glimpse of Japanese American history after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
January 4, 2022
Read to L and T and S for the Cedar Rapids winter reading challenge. Knitting socks for soldiers in WWII, combined with Japanese American internment camps was a lot of heavy material, but presented very well, drawing out the main character's internal struggle and growth. Talked with kids about what does it mean to be a "good American" and how people might define that differently. Illustrations fun, and kids liked the parallels between the illustrations and the photographs at the end of the book with the historical information. (Acquired a larger audience than initially intended.)
March 19, 2021
Set just after the USA went to war with Japan, this book tells the story of Sam who can’t knit and won’t be friends with Keiko, who can knit and wants to be friends with Sam. Covers the mistreatment of and discrimination against the Japanese communities in California during WWII and promotes the ideas of friendship and trying hard until you succeed at something. Beautifully illustrated and really quite moving.
January 30, 2021
I immediately bought my own copy of this book to show every parent and teacher I know. What a beautiful, simple, compassionate, poetic, so very important little book about the realities of xenophobia and racism during WW2 in America. But it can easily be applied to any period of history or modern day to teach compassion for those who are different from us.
April 26, 2021
This picturebook tells the story of children who were neighbors and went to school together during the time of World War II. The story does a great job of pointing out and confronting issues concerning racism against Japanese people during this time in history- an issue that tends to go unnoticed. This engaging story shows great character development through the main character and his changes in actions and attitude from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. While the setting of this story takes place in the past, it still contains relevant life lessons for readers today.
August 8, 2020
Not a lot of children's books with this subject. She was knitting socks for soldiers in WWII and then her friend decided to knit her some after her family "went away" , harassed at their business because they were Japanese-American. The sign on their shopfront after the windows were smashed in was heart breaking and then to see the actual photo from that time with the same likeness.
May 10, 2021
4.5 stars, rounded up. A Scarf For Keiko is an excellent children’s book that tactfully introduces and discusses the Japanese Internment camps during WWII. My only critique is that I wish that the narrative had been from Keiko’s perspective, and that Keiko would have been a more dynamic character.
February 1, 2022
A moving story for sure, and expect lots of questions after you read it with a child. You need a fair amount of historical context to fully understand the story. Love the illustrations.
Check out the read-aloud here.
Check out the read-aloud here.
September 28, 2020
Sad and sweet, this is a story about two young children and the strain on their friendship (he's Jewish, Keiko is of Japanese ancestry) and their experience after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
October 14, 2020
Japanese internment...great read aloud to tie to this event is US history.
October 27, 2020
Heartwarming yet so, so heartbreaking 😭😭
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