Synopsis: Shorty and his family, along with thousands of Japanese Americans, are sent to an internment
camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fighting the heat and dust of the desert, Shorty and his
father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the
internees. Shorty quickly learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and
self-respect as well.
The illustrations done in Baseball Saved Us are done in dark colors that make the reader get the idea that the pictures are from a long time ago. This is probably a good strategy used by the illustrator because this is a historically based book. The distinct colors make the book stand out from others.
I thought this book was an excellent book in that it incorporated history in a way that would keep students interested and engaged, which can sometimes be difficult to do. I also really enjoyed this book because the topic is very unique from any other I have heard before.
I would definitely use this book as an introduction into a lesson on life for Japanese Americans during World War II as well as a discussion on internment camps. I also found a website with a lesson plan complete with various creative writing prompts, vocabulary activities, as well as interdisciplinary connections with social studies and math. This website is awesome and I would definitely use it when creating a lesson using this book. The website can be accessed here: https://www.leeandlow.com/images/pdfs/baseball.pdf
To learn more about the author, you can look at his website located here: http://kenmochizuki.com
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