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Lesson plan for the home with a book, video and activities.

The Japanese American concentration camp experience during World War II

Baseball Saved UsAfter the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Shorty and his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, have been forced to relocate from their home to Camp. One day Shorty’s dad looks out across the desert and decides they should build a baseball field. Fighting the heat, dust, and freezing cold nights, the prisoners need something to look forward to, even if only for nine innings. So in this unlikely place, surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guards in towers, a baseball league is born. And Shorty soon finds that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect.

Inspired by a long-hidden and shameful part of America’s past, and the people who triumphed over it, this modern classic remains a moving story of hope, courage, and endurance.

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Video: Reading the Book


Interview with the author, Ken Mochizuki

Author: Ken Mochizuki

Illustrator: Dom Lee

Publisher: Harcourt

Age Group: 4 to 5 years, 6 to 8 years, 9 to 12 years

Preparation Time

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TopicsCOVID-19 Pandemic, Coming of Age, Community, Equality, Grandparents, Home Religious Education, Peace, Truth