The Tsunami Quilt: Grandfather's Story (Tales of Young Americans)

by Anthony D Fredericks (Author) Tammy Yee (Illustrator)

The Tsunami Quilt: Grandfather's Story (Tales of Young Americans)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

April 1, 1946 - an enormous tsunami wave strikes Hilo, Hawai'i, causing death and destruction. Even those islanders who are fortunate to have survived find their lives forever altered. Young Kimo loves his grandfather very much - they go everywhere together, sharing island stories and experiences. But there is one story his grandfather has yet to share and that is the reason behind their yearly pilgrimage to Laupahoehoe Point. Here, in silent remembrance, Grandfather places a flower lei atop a stone monument. It is only after his grandfather's sudden death that Kimo learns the story behind their annual visit and the reason for the sadness that has haunted his grandfather throughout the years. Evocative writing brings this tragic event from Hawaiian history to present-day reality for young readers today.

Award-winning children's author Anthony D. Fredericks is a former reading specialist who now teaches at York College in York, Pennsylvania. He has authored more than 35 children's books on a variety of science, nature, and environmental topics. The Tsunami Quilt is his first book for Sleeping Bear Press. Tammy Yee grew up in Honolulu, Hawai'i, exploring tide pools and enjoying the beauty of the natural world, which provided inspiration for her future career in children's books. She lives in Windward, Oahu. Tammy also illustrated A is for Aloha: A Hawai'i Alphabet for Sleeping Bear Press.

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School Library Journal

Gr 1-4 Kimo relates how each spring, his grandfather took him to Laupahoehoe Point, a peninsula on Hawaii. There they sat quietly, with the old man promising to someday tell him the "story of this sacred place," uttering phrases such as "know that the ocean is both friend and foe." Only after Grandfather's death, when Kimo is nine, does his father tell him about the tsunami of 1946 that had carried away 24 of Grandfather's teachers and classmates as well as his younger brother. Kimo and his father visit the monument at the beach and the memorial quilt in the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo. Despite the inherent drama of the 1946 tragedy, the book lacks immediacy. The illustrations do little to enliven the formal, plodding text. People appear posed and static, even in scenes of imminent danger. An author's note provides information about tsunamis in general and the 1946 occurrence in particular. Interest in this book likely will be limited to those who have visited the museum or monument on Hawaii. "Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato" Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781585363131
Lexile Measure
650
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date
May 20, 2007
Series
Tales of Young Americans
BISAC categories
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039000 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | General
Library of Congress categories
History
20th century
Grandfathers
Hawaii
Tsunamis
Memorial rites and ceremonies

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