SHELL SONG: BASED ON A TRUE FAMILY STORY, by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, Beach Lane Books, April 15, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 4-8)
Shell Song, by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, tells the story of Japanese American incarceration in in Hawai’i during World War II.
Grandfather loved music, seashells, and the sound of the ocean in Hawai’i. But when war came, there was no more music. And in this war, there was no kindness for anyone who looked Japanese.
Taken to an island prison, Grandfather passed many long, lonely days away from his family searching for tiny seashells. He collected the shells, labelled them, and saved them with care. His collection has been passed down to his children and grandchildren, and now, author-illustrator Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson tells the story of her grandfather and his shells. —Synopsis provided by Beach Lane Books
Shell Song is the moving true story of what happened to author Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson’s grandfather, a community leader, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is heartbreaking story that is ultimately filled with hope and love of both country and cultural heritage.
Fujimoto-Johnson tells her family story with warmth and energy. Her mixed media and digital illustrations are full of emotion and strength. Extensive backmatter includes more about Fujimoto-Johnson’s family; history of Japanese American exclusion; the incarceration of Japanese Americans; and what happened following WWII.
Shell Song is a thoughtful nonfiction picture book that is a good introduction for young readers to what happened on the home front in the 1940s.
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