Love Grows Here

A Japanese American girl responds to prejudice in this sensitive debut drawn from Ward’s childhood. Akio is with her grandmother at the market, shopping for “mouthwatering makizushi, salty but sweet;/ fresh fuji apples, crisp and clean,” when she stumbles into a man who mutters, “Go back to your own country.” Confused, Akio asks Oba¯, “I was born here. Where would I go back to?” As the two drink a cup of tea at the ramen shop, Oba¯’s friend tells Akio about when “my old home, Japan, began to fight with my new home, America.” And upon encountering an implied incidence of anti-Asian hate, Akio works to respond through acts of kindness. Present events are rendered in primary colors, while the past appears in a sepia palette. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A Japanese glossary and author’s note conclude. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)