So Far from the Sea
So Far from the Sea
Book Title: So Far from the Sea
Book Author: Eve Bunting
Book Illustrator: Chris K. Soentpiet
This book addresses: Japanese internment camps during WWII
Potentially Tricky Vocabulary:
Relocation: to move from one spot to another
Barracks: buildings used for large groups of people to live, usually not great quality
Memorial: a monument meant to remind people about something or someone
Questions to ask the student before reading:
Do you know any stories from your family history? From your parents or grandparents?
What do you know about WWII?
Historical context to give before reading:
During World War II, countries all around the world were doing terrible things as they tried to win the war. When Japan attacked Pearl harbor, a US military base in Hawai’i, the US government got scared. They thought that Japanese-Americans living in America might decide to work with Japan instead of the US, so they moved many Japanese-Americans into what were called relocation camps. The people who were moved lost their houses and most of their belongings. The camps were not happy places. Today, it is important that we remember this piece of history and remember that everyone should be kind to everyone.
(The questions to ask the student and historical content above are interconnected. The historical context is typically going to be a supplement to what your student might not know. Some students may already be knowledgeable about a subject, others may not know much yet. Pay attention to what your student already knows and share the historical context accordingly.)
While reading:
The different types of illustration mean two different things. The color illustrations are the present time and the black and white illustrations are from the past.
After reading:
Why is it important that we learn and remember history?
What do you think the song on page 10 means?
Follow up activity (time permitting):
Have your student think of a story from their own life (maybe something they remember doing during lockdown during the pandemic) that they would want to tell young people one day in the future. Have your student write a short description of that story and add one (or more!) illustrations to it.
All definitions were adapted by Karina Connolly from the Merriam Webster online dictionary.