Such a sweet book! I watched this youtube video on the author and illustrators' lives(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y3B6...), which also brought the story to life. I had to request this book through interlibrary loan and it came from a library in Cody, Wyoming to Iowa City, IA where I was able to read it!
I was fortunate enough to attend the Heart Mountain Pilgrimage with my husband and mother-in-law, whose father was incarcerated there during the war. While there, I had the chance to meet the illustrator of this book, get our copy signed, and watch the short film adaptation that premiered during the event. It’s a very sweet and touching story, and the illustrator was an absolute joy to listen to. Shigeru was unable to attend, but it turns out that my MIL’s father knew him.