- Teachers’ Choices – International Reading Association
- Notable Books for Children – Smithsonian
- “Editors’ Choice” – San Francisco Chronicle
- Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
- Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club Selection
Summary: Set during the ‘60s with the Vietnam war going on and World War II popular in the media, Japanese American Donnie Okada always has to be the “bad guy” when he and his friends play war because he looks like the enemy portrayed in the media. When he finally has had enough, Donnie enlists the aid of his 442nd veteran father and Korean War veteran uncle to prove to his friends and schoolmates that those of Asian descent did serve in the U.S. military.
“Dignified and effective.” – The New York Times Book Review
“Once again Mochizuki and Lee adroitly focus kids’ attention on a pervasive social problem by giving it an individual face; they make their points in an age-appropriate fashion, neither trivializing the issues nor condescending to their audience. Mochizuki captures his protagonist’s hurt, confusion and pride – emotions capably matched by Lee’s atmospheric artwork.” – Publishers Weekly
“Mochizuki and Lee tell a moving picture-book story about a Japanese American child who is treated as the enemy in his own country.” – American Library Association Booklist
“This book evocatively recreates a time when the war was still fresh in the minds of young parents, and ably shows how subtly prejudice was passed on to their children.” – Kirkus Reviews
As a follow-up to the successful Baseball Saved Us, Philip Lee, the publisher and my editor at Lee & Low Books, suggested I do a story about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the all-Japanese American U.S. Army unit in World War II that became one of the most decorated units in U.S. Army history. For my first draft, the story starts out similar to the plot in the published book, but I included a flashback scene as the 442nd battles the Germans in France – soldiers shooting and getting shot at, getting wounded, sloshing around in the freezing water and snow. Philip replied: No way can there be that level of violence in a children’s picture book. So, the end result was the non-violent Heroes with kids playing war.
Ken Mochizuki 