A Place Where Sunflowers Grow

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow
Written by Amy Lee-Tai, Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
Ages 7-11
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Based on a true story, "A Place Where Sunflowers Grow" tells of Mari, a young girl living in a Japanese internment camp during WWII. Mari does not understand why she has been forced to leave home and has begun to live in silent resignation although she has many questions. When Mari goes to art class she begins to draw what made her happy before the camp and has hope for better times in the future.  She even begins to ask her father questions about what is happening to them.  In the beginning of the story Mair is skeptical that the sunflower seeds she plants in the dry, sandy ground of the camp will grow like they did at home but by the end they have grown far above the walls of the camp.

I enjoyed this book because it was a window into a cultural story I am largely unfamiliar with.  I knew of the Japanese internment camps but little about them.  The story did not glamorize the experience and it was informative on the living conditions from shared bathhouses to cramped sleeping spaces.  I liked that the Marie compares her life in the camp to her life before because the reader sees that she is more than a Japanese wartime prisoner; she is an Japanese-American little girl who used to have a house and a yard and a bicycle.  It was surprising to me the number of outside experiences which were retained in the camp.  Mari was able to plant sunflower seeds and attend art class (not that this should be seen as a privilege but I had virtually no knowledge about the camps).  One function of multicultural literature is to point out the similarities between people of different cultural aspects and children most likely can relate to some experiences in the book such as planting flowers, moving and missing their old home, making friends and being afraid to ask questions.  I appreciated that the book included English and Japanese text, in this way it can serve both a view into another culture and a reflection of ones own cultural history or experience. 

Authenticity should be considered when choosing quality multi-cultural literature.  What I really enjoyed about the book was in the end pages it included background information about the story.  The author's mother and grandmother actually lived in the internment camps and planted sunflower seeds which grew over eight feet high and were used throughout the camp.  Mari's hope for the future and the sunflowers symbolize hope for Japanese Americans in that point in history.  It also includes a historical bit about how when internment ended, when the U.S. government apologized and how the government admitted that their actions were due to "racial prejudice, war time paranoia and poor leadership".  This information addresses issues of power which are not directly mentioned in the story.  Also although Mari begins to ask questions about the camps her questions are not answered in the story but this presents a good introduction to further inquiry. 

I would incorporate this story into a larger study of WWII or specifically historical oppression of minority groups.  Rational is an important element in multicultural literature, why should my students learn about the Japanese internment camp?  The United States was responsible for these camps and it is important that students have a full view of U.S. history including our mistakes.  The author's mother lived in an internment camp which signifies that this did not happen too long ago and people are still feeling the effects.  Racial profiling is also still happening in the U.S.  We could do a study of the history of racial profiling in the U.S. from the civil rights movement to antisemitism and finally how we see its presence today. It is important that children can recognize alienation of minority groups in their lives not just in history.  It would also be beneficial to investigate surrounding circumstances.  How did the war affect the decision to create Japanese internment camps and so forth.