Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story

A lighthouse keeper’s family leads a magical life on a beautiful island until the interruption of war in this luminously illustrated collaboration from the Kimuras, a parent/child team, and Sheinkin. Eight-year-old narrator Yukie enjoys helping in the garden and in the lighthouse. And alongside brother Yoshio, “We were explorers and scientists” combing the island’s coastline; “We were sailors too.... It was the only way to get to school.” But when a military presence arrives, threats unsettle the family. American planes bomb the island, and though the war ends soon after, it takes a surprising natural event for the children to reconnect with the the natural world. Photorealistic oil paintings from Kōdo Kimura visualize personal beats throughout this story of wartime endurance. Creators’ notes contextualize the story’s WWII-era beginnings. Ages 4–8. (July)