Caldecott Winner Allen Say's latest thoughtful children's book, titled with no little irony Home of the Brave, deals with the trauma of the Japanese-American internment during the Second World War in America. Lest we forget, 120,000 people were locked up in camps for little reason other than their ethnicity.
Surely one of the greatest gifts we can leave our children is the ability to feel empathy and compassion for others regardless of race, family background or culture. Recent events around the world, from the Middle East to the splitting of families by immigration regulations in Hong Kong, would seem to indicate that we have made very little progress in the last half-century.

Say tells the story in a series of dreamlike sequences, accompanied by often almost surrealistic artwork, with only the slightest reference to the time and ethnicity of the children in the camp. While those of us who have seen the pictures can recognize the camps as being those for Japanese-Americans, this particular camp and these particular children could be almost anywhere. It would be nice if we could shelter our children from all the injustice in the world, but we can't and probably shouldn't. This book, in a large (285mm) format with full-colour original artwork, is a book for parents and teachers to read and discuss carefully with the children in their care.
It's not an easy book especially for its target audience of 4-8 year olds; not only does it deal with a difficult subject, but does so through the use of symbolism, metaphor and other literary techniques not normally found in books for the very young. No one, for example, is named. "Like swords, two beams of light slashed at the children," reads one line. Although the book does not spare the darker sides of human nature, it is, in the end, a story of hope.
Asian schools should consider taking advantage of Home of the Brave's combination of simple vocabulary and sophisticated concepts, use of language and artwork and use the book in classes of older students, leading into discussions on tolerance and justice.

This is a book that will stretch not just children, but also adults. It is also probably a book that should not just sit on the Library shelf, but should be taken down, read and discussed together. Suitable for ages 6+.

Elaine Leung, The Asian Review of Books

Elaine Leung is founder and CEO of Asian Bookseller Paddyfield.com