History is all around us. And history can be as large as World War II or as small as being the second person of your race being born in a town.
We Are American, Too tackles that second theme. Kristen Mei Chase and illustrator Jieting Chen follow a family on an important day of celebration. They are honoring their history, family, their people and even themselves. The originality of the book comes from how the story is told, instead of “just another immigrant story” which we have read before. This is a love letter to the author’s family, and every family that is like theirs. Everything comes together in lovely images and has a lot of heart. It is a sweet and happy story. Sure, there are overtones of the issues and troubles Asian people are currently facing, but it does not dwell on that, focusing on the good vibes and promoting that love.
World War II was also mentioned in my introduction and The Memory Cake by Caroline L. Perry and illustrated by Jen Bricking covers that. But it is not just about war, but about the survival and strength of people and their love coming through in seemingly small ways. We know the story of World War II but the approach by Perry is from a new angle: We see how Malta stood strong during terrible suffering. They do not shirk from the theme of war or death, but the sweet illustrations help counter the more seriousness of things. This however, does not take away from the danger. Some images really bring out the idea of memories and how they mix with “today.”
Both books are due in June of 2025 and read via an online reader copy.
