The Bracelet Paperback – Picture Book, November 12, 1996

Never forget what happened and don’t let history repeat itself. This happened to my family, children and infants, pregnant women, even half Japanese adults children and infants had to be locked up.Think about that, IN the USA for FOUR YEARS, everything taken from you but what you can carry with you. What would you take? Never forget….

I have been reading many books by Yoshiko Uchida because I was a very young child when my parents were evacuated to the relocation (concentration) camps during World War II. Most of the Japanese who were evacuated never talked about this sad part of their lives and it was sad. I'm a bit older now but wanted to learn more about the injustice suffered by the Japanese families. This book tells how children were affected and how some of their friends reacted. Because we were interrupted on such a short notice any child would have wanted Laurie Madison (the Caucasion child) as a friend as her Japanese friend, Emi, had to leave. This is another book that is good reading for the younger readers.

I have always loved using this book with my third grade students. Although it is not a time in U.S. History about which we are proud I feel it is important to never forget what happened to our own citizens by our own government. Sweeping things under the rug only allows us to trip over them later or repeat them! It also helps me teach my students about what is really important and it is NOT a DVD player. My students are always shocked and had no idea this happened; I dare say many Americans do not know.

Purchased to aid in 5th Grade ELA instruction.

I used this book to introduce my 10-year-old twin daughters to this bad time in our usually-praiseworthy US history. They were very moved by the story, identifying with Emi and her sadness and fear. In the story, the bracelet assumes the importance of a link to Emi's past; its importance lessens as difficult losses are suffered by Emi and the rest of her family. If you need to begin to address the topic of prejudice with your children, this story might be a sad yet somehow gentle way to begin.

I love this book. Since I teach upper elementary, I like picture books with more depth, and this fits the bill. For those from the SF Bay Area, the tie in with Tanforan in San Bruno is interesting.

Excellent story about the Japanese American internment camp during WW II,story of how children can teach us a lesson.

A good book for an elementary school aged child to learn about the loss of civil rights and the unjust treatment of Japanese-Americans.