We Belong Here

Recently, several published books for young readers in different genres have focused on the Second World War’s impact on Japanese communities in North America. These include books such as J. Torre’s graphic novel Stealing Home (www.cmreviews.ca/node/2787), Janis Bridger and Lara Jean Okihiro’s novel Obaasan’s Boots (www.cmreviews.ca/node/3732)
and Haley Healey’s picture book Kimiko Murakami: A Japanese-Canadian Pioneer (www.cmreviews.ca/node/3624). Their sensitive and thoughtful portrayals provide an important contribution to the existing discourse around Japanese communities and, more broadly, other multicultural communities by giving voice to previously unrepresented perspectives. In doing so, they counter the historical legacy of stereotypical and reductive representations and caricatures in popular discourse which has dehumanized these communities and rendered them as one-dimensional character types whose foreign lifestyles make them unassimilable outsiders who are separate from mainstream life.

Written by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Ruth Ohi, We Belong Here is another recent contribution to the children’s literature that features Japanese Canadians. In contrast to some other books on the same subject, Wishinsky takes a different approach as she situates her narrative in the post-war context of the 1950s, rather than during the Second World War. The book’s narrative reveals the mistreatment that people of Japanese descent continue to experience after the Second World War, thereby showing the persistent and debilitating effects of entrenched racism and discriminatory attitudes. At the same time, this narrative provides an uplifting message about belonging and offers an optimistic resolution by illustrating how one can make a difference, regardless of one’s age. As a result, this book may encourage readers to consider how they could make a difference in their own lives as well.

The story is told from the perspective of a young white girl named Eve who was born in another country, but who has lived in Canada for most of her life. Nonetheless, her classmates still make fun of her because of her background. When a new boy named Mark Nakamura arrives at her school and experiences the same teasing, Eve feels a sense of affinity with him and speaks up against those classmates. They become good friends over the next several months, but one day Eve learns that Mark’s father has lost his job at the furniture factory because of his Japanese background and that the Nakamuras may have to move. Eve decides that she must try to help and brings the two families together over dinner, during which they bond over their shared experiences of fitting into a new community and find out how they could help each other. Eve’s parents need new furniture for their store, furniture that Mark’s father can build. With help from Eve’s family and others in their community, Mark’s father gets steady work in building furniture and, in the end, Mark and his family do not have to move away.

Characterized by soft lines and a diverse palette of vivid colours and shading, the book’s expressive illustrations bring the story to life for young readers and contribute to the narrative’s progression. Readers familiar with other books that Ohi has illustrated will recognize her distinctive style. Complementing Wishinsky’s text, Ohi’s illustrations highlight important moments and contribute to their emotional impact. When Eve is upset after her classmates make fun of her, the accompanying two-page illustration shows her sitting alone in the park, and the spread emphasizes her isolation by situating her in the middle of the right-hand page, while the surrounding pages’ space is taken up by trees. Similarly, when Mark and Eve share stories with each other, Ohi’s illustration dramatizes the excitement and magical quality of their imaginations. The illustration weaves together images from their stories that are against a layered background of water, sky, pink flowers, and trees.

Later in the story, another illustration uses an interesting technique by overlaying one illustration with another, creating a sense of dynamism and enhancing the scene’s emotional effect. As his father has just lost his job at the factory, Mark realizes that he may have to move. The main illustration shows Mark and his father sitting glumly at what appears to be a table in the living room. Overlaying that primary illustration is a small, darkened image in the bottom left-hand side that shows Eve saying to Mark, “You can’t move . . . you’re my friend.” Cast in a darker shadow, this smaller image conveys a gloomy mood that subtly aligns with and evokes Mark’s own psychological state while, at the same time, accentuating the larger image above it through its contrast of colours.

Other illustrations convey the goodwill and camaraderie that develops between Eve’s and Mark’s families, emotions which soon extend to the rest of the neighbourhood. The concluding illustration brings the narrative full circle and shows Eve, Mark, and other classmates playing ball with each other, an image that contrasts the classmates’ treatment of Mark at the beginning of the story. This image provides a satisfying conclusion to the story by showing that Mark is no longer an outsider, but, rather, that he is an equal and valued part of their community.

We Belong Here exemplifies how difficult subjects such as the Second World War and discriminatory treatment towards Japanese communities can be approached sensitively in ways that can resonate with young readers and encourage conversation. Even though the story takes place in the past, the narrative is conveyed in a straightforward way through Eve’s perspective, with recognizable settings and situations that can be extrapolated to the contemporary context. As such, the nature of this narrative will facilitate the ease with which young readers, based on their own experiences with family, friends, and school, can readily relate to the story’s characters and situations. Parents could use this book as a way to discuss what it means to be different, why people may tease or mistreat others because of those differences, and how this treatment can be prevented. In reflecting on these topics, readers could also be encouraged to consider how they could make a positive difference to others in their own lives, similar to how Eve does in the story.

Libraries that would like to build their collection of multicultural picture books, particularly works that feature realistic and positive representations of Japanese Canadians, should consider obtaining We Belong Here. In the classroom, teachers can adapt the book accordingly to stimulate learning and discussion while taking into account the students’ level of knowledge. The book could be approached in a more general way for its positive messaging about communal life and the historical context in which the narrative unfolds. Alternatively, the book could also be included as a part of a literature unit that focuses on representations of different communities during the Second World War and post-war period, or as part of a unit that addresses how different forms of discourse – news, visual media, film, and literature – represent that historical period. Teachers could also help students to appreciate the historical context underpinning the narrative thereby enhancing the students’ understanding of the events and the significance of what the community does to help Mark’s father.

The inclusion of some information about the post-war period, as well as anecdotes from Wishinsky’s and Ohi’s own experiences, will also help readers better appreciate and comprehend the significance of what occurs in We Belong Here. Both Wishinsky and Ohi reveal the challenges that their families experienced in starting over after World War II. Wishinsky shared that, while many members of her Jewish family died in Germany during the Second World War, her parents survived and then spent two years in a Displaced Persons Camp before they emigrated from Germany to Canada. Ruth Ohi reflected on her grandfather who lost his rooming house business due to the war and subsequently moved from British Columbia to Ontario, but he was able to find employment when a Jewish man offered him a job as a caretaker in his hotel.

Frieda Wishinsky grew up in New York City. Originally, she did not set out to become a writer and focused on teaching as well as establishing school libraries. Subsequently, she started to write some stories and got her first book, Oonga Boonga, published in 1990. Since then, she has continued to write, with her now over seventy trade and educational books receiving international acclaim and being translated into many languages. She enjoys presenting to a variety of audiences about her experiences as a writer and educator. Her official website is at https://friedawishinsky.com.

A graduate of the Ontario College of Art, Ruth Ohi is an illustrator and writer of many books for young readers that have received international circulation in countries such as Korea, China, the United States, Belgium, Turkey, Holland, and Australia. Her books have been shortlisted for awards, including the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book, Shining Willow, Rainforest of Reading, Mr. Christie and Blue Spruce, and her titles have also appeared in a number of “book of the year” and “best books” lists. Currently, she is based in Toronto. More information about her illustrations and writing is available at https://www.ruthohi.com.