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Finding Moon Rabbit: A War. A Camp. A Girl. A Letter.
Gold medal winner of the Independent Book Publishers Association's Ben Franklin Award for the best young reader novel of 2022, Finding Moon Rabbit was positively reviewed in leading publishing industry magazines Kirkus Reviews and Foreword Review, Kirkus called Finding Moon Rabbit , "A sincere novel providing insight into the lives of Japanese Americans during World War II." Foreword said, "Subtle in honoring human resilience, Finding Moon Rabbit is a valuable historical novel that examines internment through a girl’s fears and wishes."
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forced 120,000 people of Japanese descent from their homes and into ten internment camps. Half were children. Heart Mountain, in Wyoming, was one of those camps. Finding Moon Rabbit is the story of one Japanese American family held at Heart Mountain. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest daughter, Koko. While Koko, her sister, and her mother are held at Heart Mountain, the father is incarcerated at a special prison camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where suspected Japanese American collaborators have been placed. Not much evidence was required. Koko's one desire is to see her father again, or, until that time, to at least receive a letter from him. Many details of camp life are explored, including the formation of Girl Scout troops, domestic life, relationships with camp guards and the surrounding communities, and with the tortured tension of imprisoned Japanese citizens trying to maintain faith in the adopted country. Finding Moon Rabbit contains a number of original, contemporaneous sketches of the camp and camp life, along with other historical documents such as newspaper articles.
On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forced 120,000 people of Japanese descent from their homes and into ten internment camps. Half were children. Heart Mountain, in Wyoming, was one of those camps. Finding Moon Rabbit is the story of one Japanese American family held at Heart Mountain. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest daughter, Koko. While Koko, her sister, and her mother are held at Heart Mountain, the father is incarcerated at a special prison camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where suspected Japanese American collaborators have been placed. Not much evidence was required. Koko's one desire is to see her father again, or, until that time, to at least receive a letter from him. Many details of camp life are explored, including the formation of Girl Scout troops, domestic life, relationships with camp guards and the surrounding communities, and with the tortured tension of imprisoned Japanese citizens trying to maintain faith in the adopted country. Finding Moon Rabbit contains a number of original, contemporaneous sketches of the camp and camp life, along with other historical documents such as newspaper articles.
214 pages, Paperback
Published June 27, 2022
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 23, 2022
I have so enjoyed reading FINDING MOON RABBIT! The authors have woven a rich historical fiction novel about the internment camps during WW II and the lives of those affected. Cheeky little Koko, our protagonist, navigates her new life inside the camp at Heart Mountain with her ill mother and older sister. Life and the winter weather is harsh inside the barbed wire camp. They wait for their father/husband to join them from another camp in New Mexico. And a ray of hope shines when Koko joins the camp Girl Scouts troop because they get to meet the incoming trains filled with new arrivals. Beautifully written, rich in historical narrative, and touching. Please add this book to your reading list!
January 23, 2023
Excellent read about the Japanese/American internment camps during WWII. Although it's historical fiction, many of the details are drawn from the author's own family. Well written and engaging as well as informative.
November 21, 2022
This is an endearing book about a young girl and her family who are taken to Heart Mountain internment camp while her father is sent to a Department of Justice Camp in another state. She struggles to be good amongst the wrong-ness of the incarceration. She learns many valuable lessons from the older people in camp and she strives to become the Best Girl Scout in the troop. The story is based on a compilation of stories told to the author and her daughter by the Kato family. It hits all the marks of a great story of courage and endurance.
December 1, 2022
This is a compelling story about a shameful time in this country's past--Japanese internment camps. It's a story that needed to be told and is done so beautifully by J. C. Kato and J.C.2. At times charming, at times tearful, it is ultimately a story of hope and resilience. The characters are believable and memorable. Readers will be charmed by the main character, Koko. The writing is poetic in a way that truly tugs at your heart. A great read.
June 14, 2023
What can I possibly say about FINDING MOON RABBIT that has not been said already? I absolutely love a well-researched and well-written piece of historical fiction.
“A lone mountain rises out of nowhere with a top shaped like a cowboy hat.
There will be no soft pillows for our heads. No warm baths. No tasty food. I feel something draining from me…
Maybe it’s gaman.”
With those early lines spoken by the story’s central character, Kokoro Marie Hayashi, J.C. Kato and her daughter JC2 capture the thoughts, fears, and concerns of the over 120,000 Japanese Americans who were displaced from their homes and interned in concentration camps during WWII. It is a part of our history that has been kept out of our history books for quite some time and as a consequence not many Americans know too much about.
With the sweep of his presidential pen, Roosevelt authorized Executive Order 9066, issued two months after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. That order turned the lives of those Japanese Americans residing on the West Coast completely upside down. About 80,000 of those impacted were Nisei (second generation American-born Japanese with U.S. citizenship) and Sansei (third generation, the children of Nisei).
The authors selected the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center as the setting for their heartfelt story. Heart Mountain was one of ten concentration camps used for the internment of Japanese Americans at the time, and the place where the only Caucasian, American artist Estelle Peck Ishigo, was interned with her Japanese husband Arthur Ishigo. The camp’s 650 military-style barracks housed a total of 13,997 Japanese Americans until the camp’s closure on November 10, 1945.
Finding Moon Rabbit is an enthralling story that is easy to read and moves along at a rapid pace. I would highly recommend it not only for the younger readers, but also for the adults who missed out on learning about what America did to its citizens during the time of war. Educational and entertaining from start to finish, the book will be difficult to put down.
“A lone mountain rises out of nowhere with a top shaped like a cowboy hat.
There will be no soft pillows for our heads. No warm baths. No tasty food. I feel something draining from me…
Maybe it’s gaman.”
With those early lines spoken by the story’s central character, Kokoro Marie Hayashi, J.C. Kato and her daughter JC2 capture the thoughts, fears, and concerns of the over 120,000 Japanese Americans who were displaced from their homes and interned in concentration camps during WWII. It is a part of our history that has been kept out of our history books for quite some time and as a consequence not many Americans know too much about.
With the sweep of his presidential pen, Roosevelt authorized Executive Order 9066, issued two months after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. That order turned the lives of those Japanese Americans residing on the West Coast completely upside down. About 80,000 of those impacted were Nisei (second generation American-born Japanese with U.S. citizenship) and Sansei (third generation, the children of Nisei).
The authors selected the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center as the setting for their heartfelt story. Heart Mountain was one of ten concentration camps used for the internment of Japanese Americans at the time, and the place where the only Caucasian, American artist Estelle Peck Ishigo, was interned with her Japanese husband Arthur Ishigo. The camp’s 650 military-style barracks housed a total of 13,997 Japanese Americans until the camp’s closure on November 10, 1945.
Finding Moon Rabbit is an enthralling story that is easy to read and moves along at a rapid pace. I would highly recommend it not only for the younger readers, but also for the adults who missed out on learning about what America did to its citizens during the time of war. Educational and entertaining from start to finish, the book will be difficult to put down.
January 12, 2023
This is a really important book. Like They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Finding Moon Rabbit gives voice to a time period rarely depicted in middle grade literature. Separated from her father, Koko Hayashi, her mother, and her sister are uprooted and imprisoned at Heart Mountain, a Japanese Internment Camp. Koko struggles to make sense of her new life, but like the camp's Victory Garden that thrives in infertile conditions, Koko survives. This loveable girl tends to learn lessons the hard way, but there is always someone to offer wisdom. She listens, learns, struggles, and blooms. Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.2 beautifully capture the heart and spirit of the Japanese Americans imprisoned at Heart Mountain. DISCLAIMER: This book was gifted. #ReadYourWorld #gifted #jckato
March 11, 2025
This is another book centering around the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Koko is a young girl who with her parents are forced to move away from their home, go on a train trip and end up at Pomono Assembly Center.
The assembly centers were at times centered around a horse racing track and the families had to live in horse stalls which were not cleaned thoroughly and which were not heated well.
From there the family was moved to the Heart Mountain internment camp. The trouble at Tule Lake is discussed as is the legend of the Moon Rabbit.
Her time at the camp is covered including health problems with her mother.
The book gives good coverage to the quite bad conditions in both the assembly camps and the internment camps.
The assembly centers were at times centered around a horse racing track and the families had to live in horse stalls which were not cleaned thoroughly and which were not heated well.
From there the family was moved to the Heart Mountain internment camp. The trouble at Tule Lake is discussed as is the legend of the Moon Rabbit.
Her time at the camp is covered including health problems with her mother.
The book gives good coverage to the quite bad conditions in both the assembly camps and the internment camps.
July 9, 2023
This is a children’s historical novel with an adult theme. During WWII 120,000 people of Japanese descent were forced from their homes into interment camps. This story is told from the perspective of a young girl Koko whose family is trying to make the best of a terrible situation. Along the way, the way Baseball raised the spirits of many of the detainees, this novel focuses on how Girl Scouting helped Koko and her friends get through the cold Wyoming winter at Heart Mountain Camp. I enjoyed this read. I feel that it should be included in school history curriculum along with The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchido and Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki.
February 13, 2023
This book provides readers great historical insight with a compelling and emotional story. Thank you for this beautiful diverse book and your participation in MCBD.
May 4, 2025
Very well, written kid yet informative version of what happened to Japanese Americans in World War II. Enjoyed learning and look forward to more
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews