The reference library is a curated selection of teaching and learning resources and reference material for teaching Japanese Canadian history. The library includes field trips, websites, lessons, fiction, non-fiction, maps, videos, and education kits. The reference library contains over 100 items, users are encouraged to use the filter to reduce the volume of items displayed on this page.
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Jeff Chiba Stearns – NCCAAR (2025)
- Topic:
- The life and accomplishments of Tomekichi Homma
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Tomey – The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma
Tomey – The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma
The life and accomplishments of Tomekichi Homma
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Children’s Book
- Language:
- English
- Purpose:
- Classroom Use
- Description:
- Tomekichi’s advocacy and efforts to fight discrimination resulted in the achievement of the right to vote in British Columbia for Japanese Canadians and other Canadians of Asian descent. He also went on to build Canada’s first Japanese school, a hospital, and the first Japanese-language daily newspaper in Canada.
- Era:
- Early immigration
- Accessibility:
- Free copies available through Asia Pacific Foundation Canada or National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti-Racism
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
-
Art Miki – Friesen Press (2025)
- Topic:
- Internment of Japanese Canadians, dispossession, second uprooting, the fight for federal redress.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Road to Justice
Road to Justice
Internment of Japanese Canadians, dispossession, second uprooting, the fight for federal redress.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Children’s Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1-03-833764-1
- Purpose:
- Classroom Use
- Description:
- Art Miki was five years old in May 1942, when the Canadian government forced him and his family to leave their home in British Columbia because they were Japanese. As part of a special law that gave the government extra power during wartime, thousands of Japanese people in Canada were interned during the Second World War, which meant they lost their homes and had to work in camps, on farms, or wherever else the government made them go. Art and his family were sent to a sugar beet farm in Manitoba, where they continued to face racism from the government and other Canadians. Many years later, Art worked with other Japanese Canadians to make the government answer for the injustice of internment. After a lot of hard work and collaboration, they finally achieved redress for the wrongs that had been done to them. Recognizing that his family’s experience was one of many human rights violations in Canada, Art helped other groups fight for their rights, too. When we work together, we have the power to push back against injustice and build a better world. Stories like Art’s can show us how.
- Era:
- Internment Era and Redress
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5-7
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Komori, Lucy (2024)
- Topic:
- Japanese Canadians from different generations share thoughts and experiences.
- Reference Category:
- Videos
Tsunagu
Tsunagu
Japanese Canadians from different generations share thoughts and experiences.
- Reference Category:
- Videos
- Type:
- Film
- Language:
- English
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- How do stories and history pass from one generation to another? What relevance do these stories have for people today, particularly young people? Tsunagu means to connect and the Tsunagu website is a platform that connects the past to the present through the voices of second, third, fourth and fifth generation Canadians of Japanese descent.
- Era:
- All
- Accessibility:
- Video and additional resources available on Tsunagu website.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5-10
- Support:
- Website
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Chiba-Stearns, Jeff – Meditating Bunny Studio Inc. (2018)
- Topic:
- Being of mixed ethnicity, through their imagination of mixed creatures.
Mixed Critters
Mixed Critters
Being of mixed ethnicity, through their imagination of mixed creatures.
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1980366522
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Inspired by his own multiracial background, MIXED CRITTERS is a children’s book that serves as an introduction to mixed race identity through the blending of various animals. Chiba Stearns, created this ABC picture book as a way to help educate readers, like his mixed daughter Yuki, to be proud of their multiethnic heritage.
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Accessibility:
- Availble from booksellers and authors website.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade K +
- Support:
- Author talks and presentations can be booked.
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Mia Wenjen / Nat Iwata – Lee and Low Books (2019)
- Topic:
- Sumo wrestling; Akido.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Sumo Joe
Sumo Joe
Sumo wrestling; Akido.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1620148020
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- On Saturday mornings, Sumo Joe is a gentle big brother to his little sister. But on Saturday afternoons, he and his friends are sumo wrestlers! They tie on makeshift mawashi belts, practice drills like teppo, and compete in their homemade dohyo ring. They even observe sumo’s ultimate rule: no girls allowed! But when Sumo Joe’s little sister wants to join in the fun, Sumo Joe is torn between the two things he’s best at–sumo, and being a big brother.
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Accessibility:
- Available from Lee and Low Books.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade K-5
- Support:
- Teacher guide available on Lee and Low Books website.
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Allison Parry / Mauro Lirussi (2022)
- Topic:
- Empath; Kintsugi art (fixing pottery with gold).
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Emmie the Empath and the Kintsugi Vase
Emmie the Empath and the Kintsugi Vase
Empath; Kintsugi art (fixing pottery with gold).
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1778258909
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Emmie always felt different from her friends and family, like she didn’t quite fit in and wasn’t sure why. She was a deep-feeling sensitive soul who easily took on the energy of others.
- Era:
- N/A
- Accessibility:
- Available via author’s website.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 2-8
- Support:
- Website with resources for students and teachers.
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Del Rizzo, Suzanne – Owlkids (2020)
- Topic:
- Inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Golden Threads
Golden Threads
Inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1771473606
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- When a storm sweeps Emi’s beloved stuffed fox away from their mountain home, he ends up tattered and alone on a distant shore. A kind old man finds the fox and gives it to his granddaughter, Kiko. As she recovers from an injury of her own, Kiko mends the fox lovingly with golden thread. Kintsugi values repairing, rather than replacing, believing that the cracks give the broken item its story.
- Era:
- N/A
- Accessibility:
- Available from various booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade K-5
- Support:
- None
-
Sakamoto, Mark – Harper Collins (2023)
- Topic:
- A Japanese Canadian elder shares her experience of internment as a girl growing up during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Shizue’s Path
Shizue’s Path
A Japanese Canadian elder shares her experience of internment as a girl growing up during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 9781443464598.00
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Framed as a conversation between a grandmother and the reader, Shizue’s Path follows the story of a young Shizue growing up in Canada against the backdrop of World War II. As the war worsens, so too does Shizue’s position in Canadian society. Torn away from her elementary school and sent to an internment camp along with her family, Shizue looks to anyone who might speak truth to power—but she is met with silence.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Amazon and other booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Truuvert, Sara – Annick Press (2023)
- Topic:
- A girl searches for her missing father.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Mira and Baku
Mira and Baku
A girl searches for her missing father.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1773217567
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A story of Japanese Internment and a young girl.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Trottier, Maxine – Fitzhenry and Whiteside (2006)
- Topic:
- A neighbour’s promise to take care of a neighbours garden when he is sent to an internment camp.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Mr. Hiroshi’s Garden
Mr. Hiroshi’s Garden
A neighbour’s promise to take care of a neighbours garden when he is sent to an internment camp.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1550051520
- Purpose:
- teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- For Mary, too young to fully understand about war and far-off places, the promise was meant to last only until Mr. Hiroshi came back. But after a while it was clear the her friend wouldn’t be coming home. Still, Mary faithfully kept her word all through that long summer. And when the new people came to live in Mr. Hiroshi’s house, she knew exactly what to do.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available at booksellers and some libraries
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Mochizuki, Ken – Lee and Low Books (2018)
- Topic:
- Treatment of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbour.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Baseball Saved Us
Baseball Saved Us
Treatment of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbour.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1880000199
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Japanese Americans were interned but baseball remained an important part of their lives.
- Era:
- Internment
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Nawrocki, Monica – Friesen Press (2015)
- Topic:
- Three 12 year olds go diving in a lagoon and uncover a mystery.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Full Moon Lagoon
Full Moon Lagoon
Three 12 year olds go diving in a lagoon and uncover a mystery.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1460277157
- Purpose:
- Teaacher/Studennt USe
- Description:
- Best friends, Maddy and Cat spend their summers looking for action on magical Cortes Island, but they get more than they bargained for when they go lagoon-diving at midnight with Cat’s twin brother, “Draggin.” The three twelve year-olds emerge from the current to find themselves in a whole new world; familiar, yet unknown, and increasingly dangerous. Their simple quest to return home turns into the adventure of a lifetime.
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- Teaching resources available on this site.
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Kadohata, Cynthia – Simon and Schuster (2009)
- Topic:
- Friendship across a racial divide between a Japanese American internee and an indigenous local.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Weedflower
Weedflower
Friendship across a racial divide between a Japanese American internee and an indigenous local.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1416975663
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student USe
- Description:
- With searing insight and clarity, Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young girl who yearns to belong. Weedflower is the story of the rewards and challenges of a friendship across the racial divide, as well as the based-on-real-life story of how the meeting of Japanese Americans and Native Americans changed the future of both.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 8, 9
- Support:
- None
-
Maruno, Jennifer- Dundurn Press (2017)
- Topic:
- A story about gender and racial attitudes in Canada in the 1940s.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Cherry Blossom Baseball
Cherry Blossom Baseball
A story about gender and racial attitudes in Canada in the 1940s.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1459731660
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A girl and her family are sent to an internment camp in B.C. then moves to Ontario. To find her way as the only Japanese Canadian student at her school. She tries out for the baseball team.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Maruno, Jennifer- Dundurn Press (2012)
- Topic:
- Family possessions are confiscated.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Cherry Blossom Winter
Cherry Blossom Winter
Family possessions are confiscated.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- Maruno, Jennifer- Dundurn Press (2012)
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A story about how one family overcomes being sent away from their home by turning to baseball
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available form booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Maruno, Jennifer – Dundurn Press (2009)
- Topic:
- Nine-year-old Michiko Minagawa bids her father good-bye before her birthday celebration. She doesn’t know the government has ordered all Japanese-born men out of the province.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
When the Cherry Blossoms Fell
When the Cherry Blossoms Fell
Nine-year-old Michiko Minagawa bids her father good-bye before her birthday celebration. She doesn’t know the government has ordered all Japanese-born men out of the province.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1894917834
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Her family joins hundreds of Japanese-Canadians on a train to the interior of British Columbia. Even though her aunt Sadie jokes about it, they have truly reached the “Land of No”. There are no paved roads, no streetlights and not streetcars. The house in which they are to live is dirty and drafty. At school Michiko learns the truth of her situation. She must face local prejudice, the worst winter in forty years and her first Christmas without her father.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Pearce, Jacqueline- Orca Book Publishers (2013)
- Topic:
- Two friends learn about the Japanese Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
The Reunion
The Reunion
Two friends learn about the Japanese Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-81551432304
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A grandmther shares her story of losing a friend due to the Japanese Internment and not being able toi mend a quarrel they had.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 9, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Stearns, Jeff Chiba – Meditating Bunny Studio Inc (2021)
- Topic:
- A child learns about her Japanese roots.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
On Being Yukiko
On Being Yukiko
A child learns about her Japanese roots.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Graphic Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1775234333
- Purpose:
- Student Use
- Description:
- A young girl learns about the life of her great-great gradmother who travelled to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century.
- Era:
- Contemporary
- Accessibility:
- Available from Mediating Bunny website.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- Author talks and presentations can be booked.
-
Torres, J.- Kids Can Press (2021)
- Topic:
- A family is sent to an internment camp.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Stealing Home
Stealing Home
A family is sent to an internment camp.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Graphic Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1525303340
- Purpose:
- Student Use
- Description:
- A young boy discovers how baseball can help him through his time at the internment camp.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Takei, George (Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker) (2019)
- Topic:
- Japanese American Internment during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
They Called Us the Enemy
They Called Us the Enemy
Japanese American Internment during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Graphic Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1603094702
- Purpose:
- Student USe
- Description:
- They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from Penguin Books.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 9, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Schwartz, Ellen – Tundra Books NY (2016)
- Topic:
- Japanese Canadian life pre-WWII, during internment; Asahi baseball; Vancouver.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Heart of a Champion
Heart of a Champion
Japanese Canadian life pre-WWII, during internment; Asahi baseball; Vancouver.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1770498815.00
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in 1941, everything for Kenny and his family spirals out of control: schools are closed, businesses are confiscated, fathers are arrested and sent to work camps in the BC interior and mothers and children are relocated to internment camps. When Mickey is arrested for a small act of violence, Kenny manages to keep his family’s spirits up, despite the deplorable conditions in camp.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from Penguin Books.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 9, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Garrigue, Sheila – Atheneum Books (1985)
- Topic:
- Resist being sent to Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito
The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito
Resist being sent to Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- Garrigue, Sheila – Atheneum Books (1985)
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A gardener and young girl resist being imprisoned
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Bridger, Janis and Okihiro, Lara Jean – Second Story Press (2023)
- Topic:
- Japanese Canadian history pre WWII, during WWII and internment, post WWII< and the intergenerational impact of the Japanese Canadian internment experience.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Obaasan’s Boots
Obaasan’s Boots
Japanese Canadian history pre WWII, during WWII and internment, post WWII< and the intergenerational impact of the Japanese Canadian internment experience.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1772603484.00
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Grandma shares her experience as a Japanese Canadian during WWII, revealing the painful story of her internment. Her family was forced apart. Whole communities were uprooted, moved into camps, their belongings stolen. Lou and Charlotte struggle with the injustice, even as they marvel at their grandmother’s strength. They begin to understand how their identities have been shaped by racism, and that history is not only about the past.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from Second Story Press and as an e-book
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 9, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Walters, Eric – Orca Books (1998)
- Topic:
- An Indigenous boy befriends a JC boy and experiences racism and is confronted by injustice during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
War of the Eagles
War of the Eagles
An Indigenous boy befriends a JC boy and experiences racism and is confronted by injustice during WWII.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1551430997
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Jed’s best friend, Tadashi, along with members of his family and the other members of the nearby Japanese village, are declared enemy aliens and told to prepare to leave the coast. Now Jed must decide where his loyalty really belongs; to his country’s rigid code, or to the truth that lies in his native soul.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available form author’s website.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- School visit can be booked with the author.
-
Walters, Eric – Orca Books (2001)
- Topic:
- A JC boy and his family are forcibly removed from their Vancouver Island fishing village and placed in detention in Hastings Park
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Caged Eagles
Caged Eagles
A JC boy and his family are forcibly removed from their Vancouver Island fishing village and placed in detention in Hastings Park
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1551431390
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- A story of racism during WWII when JC were forcibly removed from their homes and temporarily forced to live in cattle stalls. Sequel to War of the Eagles.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available from the authors website
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- School visit from author can be booked
-
Kogawa, Joy – Oxford University Press (2005)
- Topic:
- Family is split up and kids are sent away.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Naomi’s Roa
Naomi’s Road
Family is split up and kids are sent away.
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1550051155
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Naomi’s Road is the story of a girl whose Japanese-Canadian family is uprooted during the Second World War Separated from their parents, Naomi and her brother Stephen are sent to an internment camp in the interior of British Columbia For the young girl growing up, war only means that she can no longer return to her home in Vancouver, or see her parents.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Jean Little (Susan M. Aihoshi)- Scholastic Canada (2015)
- Topic:
- Ten Tales of Christmas.
Dear Canada: A Time for Giving
Dear Canada: A Time for Giving
Ten Tales of Christmas.
- Type:
- Children’s Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1443133739
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Christmas at an Internment Camp
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through Scholastic Canada
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Aihoshi, Susan – Scholastic Canada (2012)
- Topic:
- Harsh conditions of Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
Dear Canada: Torn Apart
Dear Canada: Torn Apart
Harsh conditions of Internment
- Reference Category:
- Historical Fiction and Graphic Novels
- Type:
- Children’s Novel
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0439946605
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- The realities of life in an Internment Camp
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through Scholastic Canada
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Claxton, Nicholas XEMTOLTW (2021)
- Topic:
- Systemic racism, institutional racism and exclusionary polices in the province of British Columbia are examined.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Challenging Racist British Columbia 150 Years and Counting
Challenging Racist British Columbia 150 Years and Counting
Systemic racism, institutional racism and exclusionary polices in the province of British Columbia are examined.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- In 1871, this province joined the Canadian federation and, ever since, communities of Indigenous, Black, and other racialized peoples have waged protracted struggles against the dispossession of Indigenous lands, institutionalized discrimination, and the politics of exclusion. They have won many victories yet, 150 years later, we are witnessing yet another uprising against systemic racism.
- Era:
- All
- Accessibility:
- PDF availabe on line
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10-12
- Support:
- None
-
Kurita, Roy Shoichi-ExParte Press (2022)
- Topic:
- The interment era and confinement. These are stories from the early life of Roy Kurita from the streets of Vancouver to his imprisonment as a teen.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Growing Up Nisei
Growing Up Nisei
The interment era and confinement. These are stories from the early life of Roy Kurita from the streets of Vancouver to his imprisonment as a teen.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1927607848
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- iving through the Great Depression and World War II was a difficult time for everyone. Growing up Nisei, a second-generation Japanese Canadian, presented additional challenges. Roy Kurita endured discrimination, seizure of property, and had to live as a prisoner of war in Canada, his birth country.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10
- Support:
- None
-
Takata, Toyo – University of Toronto Press (1983; 1994)
- Topic:
- History of Japanese Canadians
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Nikkei Legacy: The Story of Japanese Canadians from Settlemen to Today
Nikkei Legacy: The Story of Japanese Canadians from Settlemen to Today
History of Japanese Canadians
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0919601949
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- Covers the early history of Japanese Canadians with particular emphasis on early settlement and the pioneers.
- Era:
- Early Settlement
- Accessibility:
- Available trhough booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10
- Support:
- None
-
Homma, K.T. and Isaksson, C.G.- Hancock House (2008)
- Topic:
- Tomekichi Homma’s fight for the right of Japanese Canadians to vote.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Tomekichi Homma: The Story of a Canadian
Tomekichi Homma: The Story of a Canadian
Tomekichi Homma’s fight for the right of Japanese Canadians to vote.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0888396600
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- A Biography about Tomekichi Homma telling about his many contributions to Steveston and Canada
- Era:
- Immigration and Early Settlement
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Hickman, Pamela and Fukawa, Masako – Lorimer (2012)
- Topic:
- Japanese Canadian history with particular focus on the internment era.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Internment in the Second World War
Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Internment in the Second World War
Japanese Canadian history with particular focus on the internment era.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English, French
- ISBN:
- 9781552778548
- Purpose:
- Teacher/Student Use
- Description:
- Written in a textbook style, the book uses a wide range of historical photographs, documents, and images of museum artefacts to tell the story of the internment. The impact of these events is underscored by first-person narrative from five Japanese Canadians who were themselves youths at the time their families were forced to move to the camps.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Kawamoto Reid, Linda and Carter, Beth (2012)
- Topic:
- Guide to Japanese Canadian Internment camps.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Karizumai: A Guide to Japanese Canadian Internment Sites
Karizumai: A Guide to Japanese Canadian Internment Sites
Guide to Japanese Canadian Internment camps.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- N/A
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- Detailed descriptions, maps, photos and details of several internment camps across BC.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Copies can be purchased through the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Hyde, Natalie – Crabtree Publishing (2016)
- Topic:
- An important addition to any multicultural collection, this title examines the internment of “enemy aliens” in the United States and Canada during the Second World War.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Internment Camps
Internment Camps
An important addition to any multicultural collection, this title examines the internment of “enemy aliens” in the United States and Canada during the Second World War.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 9780778728627
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- With particular emphasis on “yellow peril” and the plight of Japanese-American and Canadian citizens, the book reveals the events, mindsets, and policies leading up to and following the forced removal of thousands of citizens from their homes into internment camps. Using primary sources including real accounts of survivors, the title encourages readers to examine differing perspectives on the events and think critically about the complex relationship between citizenship and diversity in North America.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through booksellers or as an e-book.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Healey, Haley – Heritage House Publishing (2023)
- Topic:
- A true story of a camp survivor.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese Canadian Pioneer
Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese Canadian Pioneer
A true story of a camp survivor.
- Reference Category:
- Picture Books
- Type:
- Picture Book
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 9781772034318
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- Salt Spring Island pioneer and Internment camp survivor Kimiko Murakami.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available at Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5
- Support:
- None
-
Enomoto, Randy – Greater Vancouver JCCA (2016)
- Topic:
- 52 Collected stories from survivors of the internment camps
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Honouring Our People
Honouring Our People
52 Collected stories from survivors of the internment camps
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0993991202
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- First hand accounts from those that lived through the internment with reflections on the betrayal, restrictions, uprooting, and loss.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Print, available from booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 5, 10
- Support:
- None
-
Adachi, Ken – McClelland and Stewart (1979)
- Topic:
- History of Japanese Canadians.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
The Enemy That Never Was
The Enemy That Never Was
History of Japanese Canadians.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0771007248
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- One of the earliest works that exposed the truth about internment and the unjust policies of the federal government in its treatment of Japanese Canadians in the 1940’s.
- Era:
- All
- Accessibility:
- Available from booksellers.
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10
- Support:
- None
-
Watada, Terry – Blurb Incoportated (2016)
- Topic:
- Internment, dispossession, and the fisheries.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Nishga Girl: A Tale of Love and Friendshi
Nishga Girl: A Tale of Love and Friendship
Internment, dispossession, and the fisheries.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-1389251702
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- The story about a fishing vessel, Nishga Girl, purchaed by Chief Eli Gosnell at auction in 1942, and returned to the family at the end of the Second World War.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available at Library and Archives Canada
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10
- Support:
- Nishga Girl exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History
-
Landscapes of Injustice: A New Perspective on the Internment and Dispossession of Japanese CanadiansStanger-Ross, Jordan – McGill-Queen’s Press (2021)
- Topic:
- Internment and dispossession.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
Landscapes of Injustice: A New Perspective on the Internment and Dispossession of Japanese Canadians
Landscapes of Injustice: A New Perspective on the Internment and Dispossession of Japanese Canadians
Internment and dispossession.
- Reference Category:
- Non-fiction Books
- Type:
- Non-fiction
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 978-0228003076
- Purpose:
- Teacher Reference
- Description:
- A reinterpretation of the internment of Japanese Canadinas, with a specific emphasis on the forced sales of Japanese Canadian owned property.
- Era:
- Internment Era
- Accessibility:
- Available through various booksellers
- Curriculum Match:
- Grade 10-12
- Support:
- Landscapes of Injustice Elementary and Secondary Teacher Resources