Dear Ichiro

by Jean Davies Okimoto, Doug Keith (Illustrator)

Eight-year-old Henry and his friend Oliver are having a fight. When Henry gets a time-out, he wishes Oliver would get one too — for life. “I hate Oliver,” he says. “He’s my enemy. I’ll hate him forever.” The day takes a turn when Grampa Charlie takes Henry to a baseball game. Charlie, a World War II veteran, cheers on the Seattle Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki, and his enthusiasm for the Japanese players paves the way for Henry and Oliver’s reconciliation. In the tradition of Baseball Saved Us, Jean Davies Okimoto’s heartwarming story and Doug Keith’s whimsical illustrations offer a message of hope.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2002

About the author

“I’ve always had an appreciation for the constant balancing act between career and family and for women in the arts it can be a high wire act.”

Okimoto, who was born in 1942 in Cleveland, Ohio, knows of what she speaks. An acclaimed children’s author, playwright, retired psychotherapist, wife, mother, and grandmother, she has worn many hats since Putnam published her first book in 1978.

With The Love Ceiling, her eighteenth book and one she calls “my debut novel for my own age group,” Okimoto delivers a charming and poignant exploration of a long marriage and the conflicts that arise in both in retirement and in parenting adult children. The roles of a woman in her sixties: wife, mother, grandmother and artist are richly drawn with complexity and depth.

Many of the themes resonate for women across generations, but the author is especially passionate about reaching older women, a huge segment of the population which Okimoto feels has not been well served by large publishers. With rave reviews from early readers and endorsers such as Christiane Northrup, MD author and host of the PBS television special Mother-Daughter Wisdom, Okimoto’s debut adult novel is fast becoming a book club favorite.

The Love Ceiling won top honors in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards adding to the author’s numerous awards which include Smithsonian Notable Book, the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, the Washington Governor’s Award, the Green Earth Book Award, and the International Reading Association Readers Choice Award. Jean Davies Okimoto’s books and short stories have been translated into Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Turkish, German, and Hebrew. A resident of the Pacific Northwest since 1968, Jeanie Okimoto and her husband live on Vashon Island near Seattle.

Reviews

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, of course, but not the book's fault. Comes across as a little heavy handed in places but overall nice message.

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story that includes talking about how you're feeling when upset, about consequences, and about forgetting and moving forward, even if you've had a fight. I think kids will be able to relate, and that it could be a great teaching point. Glad I found this one at Goodwill, and will use it in my teaching.

[Lita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a boy who gets into a fight with his best friend and he doesn't want to be friends anymore. Then, the boy talks to his grandpa about his dilemma and his grandpa teaches him that it is important to forgive and forget.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son won this for being the most improved reader in the 5th grade.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I great look a what it takes to move past being enemies.