Weedflower

At first, Weedflower was a slow read. I approached it more like a history textbook than a children’s fiction book. However, I began to identify with Sumiko after her awful experience with the birthday party. I felt so sad because she had no idea how racist her community was. I remember being that age and being very excited when I would get invited to someone’s birthday party. I would have been crushed if I arrived at a birthday party and could not stay because of a reason that did not make sense to me or one that I had completely no control over.

As I continued to read, I really admired the work ethic of her family and how she and her brother stuck together and helped each other through their parents’ death. I even enjoyed her grandfather. He reminded me of my grandmother – lovable, but a little bit cranky. I feel that almost any child can relate to this book because Sumiko’s family is very unique but still a family. This book would be excellent for children raised by family members who are not their blood parents or who had to immigrate and work very hard for what they have.

I have never really been exposed to much information regarding Pearl Harbor and how Japanese Americans were treated following that event. I felt ashamed when I began reading when Sumiko’s family was split up amongst internment camps. I did not know that these existed until I was in high school. It is ironic how the American curriculum exposes us to the genocide and hatred that filled concentration camps in Europe but did not teach us about how they wanted to concentrate and “keep an eye on” an entire ethnicity of people.

I was happy to see that Sumiko had adjusted to life in the concentration camp, but as I grew more attached to her, it broke my heart when she said she probably was never going to own her own flower shop and gave up on her dream. She was so determined before and still was determined with her garden, but lost her dream. I wanted to see her still have faith in herself and follow through with the flower shop. She began to feel inferior and like she couldn’t follow her dreams because of her race and how it was viewed, not because of her capabilities as a person. Because of the lack of respect that was shown to her and her family she lost respect for herself.

This book made me wonder what I would do if I was in Sumiko’s position. It would just about break me to be away from my family and be so unsure of what was to come. I’m not sure I could make do with my life at an internment camp. I would live in constant fear of being separated from family, again, and I don’t think I would be too quick to judge and make new friends. Who knows, soon after I might have to leave them behind too. I would definitely try to shield myself from all that hurt, and by doing so, complete exhaust myself. I could not be as strong as Sumiko was throughout this entire story.

Sumiko all in all was a very strong protagonist and great example for young readers. She takes something as horrible as a weed flower (the internment camp) and makes it into something beautiful. She goes through more than the average elementary reader does, but by reading this book children do not only receive a taste of American history but of a completely different perspective. I might not have children in my classroom that must work on a farm, take care of their grandfather, and basically be a parent to their little siblings, but this is a great book to expose them to how different life was then and how different everyone’s life can be.

Ida B

Ida B ties with Becoming Naomi León for my favorite books in this course. I could not put the book down. I was upset with Ida B throughout most of the reading, but I also loved her. She is a little girl who seems to be on top of the world, then she receives horrible news that her mother is suffering from cancer. The life she knew of her wild imagination and being home-schooled with just her parents was completely shaken. Much like Naomi, I admire her for getting through her struggle and coming out even stronger than she was before.

Ida B is a good person. While she is completely mean to Claire and ignores most of her classmates after her mom becomes ill and is forced to go back to school, she knows what it is right and what is wrong. The things and people she loves, she loves with her entire heart. She appreciates her parents even though she is upset with them. I cheered for her throughout the whole book and patiently waited for her to return to her old self, because it’s Ida B, the reader just knows that she can’t stay a drab person with a tiny stone heart.

This book also captures the absolute essence of feelings and emotions and has a wide display of how different people deal with emotion. It shows her mom deals with emotions through overt expression, much like me. Her father deals with them silently, and Ida B deals with them by trying to bury them deep down and forget about it or just be mean because it is easier than being sad. While I personally believe the best way to deal with emotions is to address them, many students throughout all elementary grades can relate to one or more of these ways when it comes to dealing with emotions.

One of the most beautiful parts of the book that is incredibly touching is when Ida B and her father go for a walk after dinner. It captures feeling so well when it reads, “And neither of us said a word, but I swear I heard my daddy speak. Like the old tree speaks. Not in words, but a feeling that went straight into my heart (243).” She is only a girl yet knows that sometimes emotions are stronger than words could ever describe them. Words do not always adequately describe what a person is feeling. This is so beautiful and left me with such a warm feeling to have this recognized in children’s book.

Ida B is also great because many types of students can relate. A student with a vivid imagination, one who was home-schooled, one who someone close to them had/has cancer, one with the passion to read, etc will find joy in this book. It speaks to so many people with different messages to take away.

I loved Claire. She is such a wonderful person. Ida B is nothing but mean and nasty to her at first, yet she continues to be nice and even tries to be her friend. After Ida B scares Claire and her brother on the farm, Claire does not try to retaliate or talk badly about Ida, like Ida expects. She simply does not want anything to do with Ida and tries to mind her own business. This is a great example for upper elementary and middle school girls to look at, since that is the time when girls become a little bit mean and start forming cliques.

The best message that I take away from this book is two-fold. It shows that hiding your emotions can be much more difficult than sharing them with someone. It takes more energy for Ida B to be “mean Ida B” than it does for her to be herself. She wants to be herself, but is afraid of getting hurt. However, it is not worth it because she sees she is missing on some of the most meaningful things in life. The other message this book shows is that something you think is bad can work out well in the end. Ida B’s mom had cancer and the family had to sell part of the farm, but in the end, they were still a family and Ida B even learned to enjoy school.

This book will most definitely be on my shelf in my classroom because it is high quality not only in the writing, but the themes it presents and explains. It has the ability to start great classroom conversations and give children a good introduction to dealing with emotional hardship, if they have not been exposed to it before.