MY THOUGHTS ON “SO FAR FROM THE SEA”:
Eve Bunting is one of my favorite authors. The way she can take a complex issue and make it simple and inviting is marvelous. She writes with honesty and sensitivity about issues that are important in our country’s history. – Chris Soentpiet
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eve Bunting is the author of more than 150 books, Bunting has written something for every age group – everything from young adult novels to picture books, on subjects ranging from homelessness (Fly Away Home), a modern-day look at a Civil War battlefield (The Blue and the Gray), the Irish village of Maghera where she was born (Market Day), and Smoky Night, about the Los Angeles riots, illustrated by David Diaz and winner of a Caldecott Medal.
Look for another Eve Bunting and Chris Soentpiet collaboration, Jin Woo.
BOOK REVIEW:
“Political history becomes personal narrative in this evocative story about a family’s connection to Manzanar, one of the WWII camps where Japanese- Americans were interned. Prior to moving from California to Boston, the Iwasaki pay a last visit to the grave of Grandfather Iwasaki. Gazing across acres of empty space that once housed close to 10,000 prisoners, Mr. and Mrs. Iwasaki share vivid memories of camp life with their two young children, Thomas and Laura. As they struggle to explain the unfair treatment accorded her ancestors, Laura listens quietly, then just before leaving, places one final memento on her grandfather’s grave. Bunting’s spare prose effectively matches the developmental level of the ages for which this book is geared, and will generate questions that both educators and parents will find difficult to answer. Stark watercolors of the present alternate with black-and-white drawings representing scenes from the past. Together, text and illustrations create and sustain a mood reflection and reminiscence suited to the topic.” – Kirkus Reviews, April 1998
AWARDS:
- Parents’ Choice Picture Book Recommendation 1998
- Junior Library Guild 1998
- FOCAL Award Best Book Winner 1999 – Friends of Children and Literature Central Los Angeles Public Library
