Baseball Saved Us: 25th Anniversary Edition

By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee
Paperback: $11.95

Twenty-five years ago, Baseball Saved Us changed the picture-book landscape with its honest story of a Japanese American boy in an internment camp during World War II. This anniversary edition will introduce new readers to this modern-day classic.

Front cover for El béisbol nos salvó by Ken Mochizuki and Dom Lee
This book is also available in Spanish
El béisbol nos salvó
By Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee

Description

One day my dad looked out at the endless desert and decided then and there to build a baseball field.

“Shorty” and his family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, have been forced to relocate from their homes to a “camp” after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Fighting the heat, dust, and freezing cold nights of the desert, Shorty and the others at the camp need something to look forward to, even if only for nine innings. So they build a playing field, and in this unlikely place, a baseball league is formed. Surrounded by barbed-wire fences and guards in towers, Shorty soon finds that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.

Inspired by actual events, this moving story of hope and courage in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II reveals a long-hidden and ugly part of the American past. This 25th Anniversary Edition features a revised cover and a new introduction from the author and illustrator.

About the Creators

Ken Mochizuki

Ken Mochizuki is a writer, journalist, and former actor who made his picture-book debut with Baseball Saved Us. He is also the author of several other award-winning picture books published by Lee & Low, including Passage to Freedom and Heroes. Mochizuki lives in Maple Valley, Washington. His website is kenmochizuki.com.

Dom Lee

Dom Lee made his picture-book debut with Baseball Saved Us. He grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and went on to illustrate books in both the United States and Korea. His titles for Lee & Low include Ken Mochizuki's Passage to Freedom and Heroes, as well as the award-winning Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds. Lee's unique illustration style involves applying encaustic beeswax on paper, then scratching out images, and finally coloring the images with oil paint. Lee and his wife live in Hollis, New York.

Awards

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reviews

  • "Author Ken Mochizuki and artist Dom Lee tell a terrific children's story. They tell a modern one - tender and tough and most of all: true."

    - The Asian Reporter
  • "Prepossessing debut. . .stirring illustrations."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "Splendidly evocative. . .. Fine debuts for author, illustrator."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Powerful."

    - School Library Journal

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781880000199
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Mar 01, 1993
  • Trim Size 8 × 10 in
  • Weight 0.3125 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1466
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781880000014
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Mar 01, 1993
  • Trim Size 8 × 10 in
  • Weight 0.75 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1466
  • Cd

  • ISBN 9781591129141
  • Price $12.95
  • Publication Date Mar 01, 1993
  • Trim Size 5 × 5 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1461
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Sports & Recreation / Baseball & Softball
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / People & Places / United States / Asian American
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
  • Themes Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Bullying, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Conflict resolution, Courage, Discrimination, Dreams & Aspirations, Empathy / Compassion, Families, Fathers, Fiction, Gratitude, History & Civics, Home, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Immigration, Integrity / Honesty, Leadership, Overcoming Obstacles, Persistence / Grit, Pride, Realistic Fiction, Respect / Citizenship, Self Control / Self Regulation, Similarities and Differences, Social Justice & Activism, Sports, Tolerance / Acceptance, United States History, War, World War II
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 5 - 8
  • Grade Range Grades K - 3
  • Guided Reading O
  • ATOS Book Level 3.9
  • DRA 34
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 6
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 550
  • Reading Level 3
  • SRC 4.1
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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