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24th out of 26 books
—
3 voters
Baseball Saved Us
by
Ken Mochizuki,
Dom Lee
A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball while his family is forced to live in an internment camp during WW II.
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
March 1st 1995
by Lee & Low Books
(first published March 1993)
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Ken Mochizuki reads aloud his book, Baseball Saved Us. The story takes place during and briefly after WWII. The author’s own parents were sent to an internment camp in Idaho during the war. With knowledge of his own family history, Mochizuki creates a story about a boy and his family who suddenly find themselves in an internment camp. Their boredom and frustration leads them to build a baseball field within the barbed-wire fences that they live. The game brings people together and gives the boy...more
Reading Level: Intermediate
This book describes how baseball helped the Japanese who were in internment camps during World War II find meaning and worth during their struggle.
This book is a wonderful asset to the Social Studies curriculum. It allows students to see that different groups of people were treated poorly during World War II. It also shows students that everyone can achieve great things no matter what their race is.
The illustrations also allow children to notice that the characters co...more
This book describes how baseball helped the Japanese who were in internment camps during World War II find meaning and worth during their struggle.
This book is a wonderful asset to the Social Studies curriculum. It allows students to see that different groups of people were treated poorly during World War II. It also shows students that everyone can achieve great things no matter what their race is.
The illustrations also allow children to notice that the characters co...more
2 likes · like · see review
I loved this book. I used it often in teaching. I first stumbled upon this book when I was browsing for sports book to fill my Fifth Grade classroom library. I thumbed through it, and thought it would be a nice choice. Little did I know what a great tool it would be come for an entirely different reason.
When I finally sat down with "Baseball Saved Us" I soon realized I could use this as an enforcer to the World War II Unit we would be studying soon. The book tells the story of a boy and his fami...more
When I finally sat down with "Baseball Saved Us" I soon realized I could use this as an enforcer to the World War II Unit we would be studying soon. The book tells the story of a boy and his fami...more
Feb 21, 2013
Cindy Gutierrez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
parents and teachers
Recommended to Cindy by:
my teacher
The book Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki is about a boy and his family that moved to this camp because they had to get out of their house fast. But when they got to the camp it was very boring and so his dad suggested to make a baseball field so they can play. At first people weren't agreeing with the idea but in the end they accepted. When everything was ready and they could play the boy wasn't good at baseball but he practiced and he made a homerun when playing a game. Later on after summe...more
The book Baseball Saved Us is about a small Japanese boy who lived in world war 2. The Japanese people were thought to be not trusted because the United States was at war with Japan. So they sent all the Japanese citizens to live in concentration camps. The main charachter was always small and didnt have belief in himself. But he soon finds out that if you believe in yourself you can be succesfull.In my opinion the intentyed audience for this book is 3rd and 4th graders. The illustrations have
...more
baseball saved us
baseball saved us is about a Japanese boy staying in a internment camp in the middle of the Americans deserts. they sent every Japanese that was in the us into the internment camp because they thought they were apart of pearl harber . they stayed there for three year. what they did at the internment camp were they made a baseball filed. they made the filed for them to pass the time a the camp they were put in. the little boy that was there that everyone called him shorty he wan...more
baseball saved us is about a Japanese boy staying in a internment camp in the middle of the Americans deserts. they sent every Japanese that was in the us into the internment camp because they thought they were apart of pearl harber . they stayed there for three year. what they did at the internment camp were they made a baseball filed. they made the filed for them to pass the time a the camp they were put in. the little boy that was there that everyone called him shorty he wan...more
In this Story book Baseball Saved Us written by Ken Mochizuki illustrated by Dom Lee Talks about how a young Japanese American boy and his family along with others work to create a to save themselves from the war. The main character is a Japanese American young boy who is taken into a interment camp in the middle of a American desert for about 3 years during World War 2. The boys dad decides to create a baseball field. with help from other man they found a way to flood the place were the field w...more
Baseball Saved Us
In Baseball Saved Us the main character was a kid who was living throughout World War 2 with his family but was playing baseball. There were many things going on, things that the main character couldn't ignore but wanted to. Baseball was a way of distraction for the child.Throughout many things that were happening during the war in Japan, the main character was able to be strong enough with the help of going away for a while to camp and playing baseball.
I think this book would b...more
In Baseball Saved Us the main character was a kid who was living throughout World War 2 with his family but was playing baseball. There were many things going on, things that the main character couldn't ignore but wanted to. Baseball was a way of distraction for the child.Throughout many things that were happening during the war in Japan, the main character was able to be strong enough with the help of going away for a while to camp and playing baseball.
I think this book would b...more
My favorite part of the book “Baseball Saved Us” was when the Japanese people were in the camp playing baseball and were clowning on the player and then he proved that he was good at playing baseball. This book is about the Japanese war. The Japanese people were being sent to concentration camps because they were not trusted because they thought that they were gunna be connections to the Japanese soldiers.
Well I think that this book should be like for 2nd- 4th graders because in my prospective...more
Well I think that this book should be like for 2nd- 4th graders because in my prospective...more
Base Ball saved us is a story about an unnamed boy and his family that move into an internment camp because of their race. During their time being their they build a baseball filed. The unnamed boy basically talks about baseball gave him a purpose to endure the time being in the interment camp. All because he couldn't be trusted for being of mixed race Japanese- American during a war.It also about his experience of becoming better at the sport and how it makes him better some how as well.
The boo...more
The boo...more
This is the story of a Japanese-American boy during World War 2 whose family has been sent to a Japanese internment camp. The young boy does not really understand why he was sent there or why his family is often talked about in a negative manner. Life on the camp is very different then his life back home. There is not much for people to do except for stand around all day. The boy also dislikes the fact that there are always guardsmen standing in towers with guns, looking down at them. One day, h...more
I think this book was a very informative book. It teached a lot about the Japanese internment camps when a person who actually experienced them told the story. I really enjoyed reading it and learning about the daily lifestyle of a person in these internment camps. I really enjoyed how the author didn't refer to the Americans guarding the internment camp as evil or rude. The author didn't really seem like he had any negative perspectives of the Americans. He just simply described his life in the...more
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Genre: Historical Fiction
Interest level: Grades 3-5
Guided reading: O
Lexile level: 550L
Main Characters: "Shorty"
POV:
Summary: This is the story of a boy who describes his time in a Japanese internment camp in the United States during World War II. He talks about how boring it was in the camp and one day, the adults and kids decided to make a baseball field in the dirt to help pass the time. It took a while, but when they were done, they would play. The boy wasn’t...more
Genre: Historical Fiction
Interest level: Grades 3-5
Guided reading: O
Lexile level: 550L
Main Characters: "Shorty"
POV:
Summary: This is the story of a boy who describes his time in a Japanese internment camp in the United States during World War II. He talks about how boring it was in the camp and one day, the adults and kids decided to make a baseball field in the dirt to help pass the time. It took a while, but when they were done, they would play. The boy wasn’t...more
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki is a book about a Japanese-American boy and his family during World War II. They were sent to an internment camp. With nothing else to do, they begin to build a baseball field within the barbed wire fences that they live in. The game of baseball lets them have some enjoyed and brings people together. When the war is over and the boy returns home his classmates are not nice and welcoming to him because he is Japanese. He continues to play baseball and is success...more
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki is a story told through the eyes of a young Japanese-American boy locked in an interment camp in America during World War II. This story reveals how people can escape the torment of every day life by getting lost in athletics and teamwork. It started by his father deciding to build a baseball field in the internment camp and people finding so much joy in that. While playing baseball no one was thinking of his or her lives but rather the game at hand. Once relea...more
Baseball saved us is a historical fiction book based upon a time during World War 2 when Japanese Americans were placed in camps because people were afraid that they could not be trusted. This book is about a young boy whose family is forced to leave their home and live in a “camp” until the war is over. While in the camp they used the game of baseball to help them through their new camp life. Once out of the camps they were faced with many new challenges and it was once again baseball that help...more
“Baseball Saved Us” is about more than baseball, it is about a Japanese boy who, along with family, is taken to an internment camp. Our protagonist is noted for his shortness and starts out unable to play baseball very well. Some of the distress felt by those encamped is discussed at the beginning of the book. From this book I learned that the stress of camp life caused people to nearly go insane and get mad at each other. For this reason our narrator’s Dad decides they need something to do, the...more
Baseball Saved Us written by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee, and published in 1993 by Lee & Low books Inc, takes place in a Japanese internment camp. It is narrated by a young boy whose father decides to build a baseball field to take peoples' minds off of the harsh conditions of the camp. Through interactions with family members and others, the boy describes the racism that forces them to leave their homes, what the living conditions are like, and how he uses his anger at being in t...more
Jan 08, 2012
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
We borrowed this book from our local library as part of a kit with a paperback book and an audiocassette that is narrated by the author. It was a touching story and while I was afraid at first that it would appeal more to boys because of the baseball theme, we all really liked it.
It tells about the internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States during WWII. It speaks of the hatred and prejudice of Americans for the Japa...more
It tells about the internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States during WWII. It speaks of the hatred and prejudice of Americans for the Japa...more
I read this book during an undergraduate children's literature class and have always thought it was a really great story. The illustrations are powerful and play a big part in the telling of Mochizuki's story, which is actually based on his own parents experiences in a Japanese internment camp. An activity that really turned me on to this story was the "in their shoes" activity where the students take on the role of a story character and answer questions asked by their peer audience. The challen...more
Baseball Saved Us is a historical fiction book written by Ken Mochizuki. The book takes place in a Japanese American internment camp back in World War 2. The story takes place with the main character(unnamed) narrating about the general aspects of the internment camp and why he and his family are there. His dad simply says that the Americans do not trust them even though they are Americans as well. The internment camp is very dry and the guards constantly watched over everything that the Japanes...more
Great book
Suggested Age: 3rd and up
Brief Synapses: After the attack on pearl harbor, Japanese Americans were presumed untrustworthy so they were sent to live on internment camps. Well shorty the main character of the story was a little boy living with his family in one of those camps. His father had this ingenious idea of building a baseball field. Shorty discovers that the game became much more than winning a game but more about winning self-respect and dignity for himself and his people. Did I...more
Suggested Age: 3rd and up
Brief Synapses: After the attack on pearl harbor, Japanese Americans were presumed untrustworthy so they were sent to live on internment camps. Well shorty the main character of the story was a little boy living with his family in one of those camps. His father had this ingenious idea of building a baseball field. Shorty discovers that the game became much more than winning a game but more about winning self-respect and dignity for himself and his people. Did I...more
In this moving tribute to human courage and dignity (written by the child of Japanese internees), a young Japanese boy describes his time in the American internment camps during WWII. Recognizing that enforced idleness is detrimental to their humanity, the inmates build a baseball field and organize teams to pass the time of their imprisonment. They choose an American game, rejecting their label as non-Americans, and the boy grows in his skill by playing all through the camp. It is through this...more
Summary/A Thoughtful Review:
Baseball Saved Us, appropriate for upper elementary readers, tells the story of a young boy's experience while imprisoned in the Japanese internment camps in the early 1940s. The illustrations and text work together in beautiful harmony as they create images of the dismal, desolate, conditions of this "camp" in the American desert. A place with "dry, cracked dirt," dust storms blowing sand everywhere, public bathroom facilities, and the small, wall-less barracks wher...more
Baseball Saved Us, appropriate for upper elementary readers, tells the story of a young boy's experience while imprisoned in the Japanese internment camps in the early 1940s. The illustrations and text work together in beautiful harmony as they create images of the dismal, desolate, conditions of this "camp" in the American desert. A place with "dry, cracked dirt," dust storms blowing sand everywhere, public bathroom facilities, and the small, wall-less barracks wher...more
1 like · like · see review
Baseball Saves Us is about a small boy and how he overcomes his challenges through baseball, while he and his family are in an internment camp because of their racial profile.
This book is for parents and teachers who want their children and students to learn about difference, injustice, and discrimination. It also has background information about the war between America and Japan and how Japanese-Americans were discriminated. It has a moral of how even if you are different you can become great....more
This book is for parents and teachers who want their children and students to learn about difference, injustice, and discrimination. It also has background information about the war between America and Japan and how Japanese-Americans were discriminated. It has a moral of how even if you are different you can become great....more
Baseball Saved Us is the story of a little boy and his family who are confined in a Japanese internment camp during WWII. He describes the struggle he and his family endured during the time they were confined. While in the internment camp, his father decides to build a baseball field to occupy their time. When they play, the little boy describes the eyes of a tower soldier who is always watching them. Though he wasn't very good to begin with, once his anger was built up towards his situation and...more
"Basketball Saved Us" is a story about a young Japanese boy's experience in a Japanese concentration camp during the WWII era. His experience at the camp is "saved" because of his love of baseball which he plays with the other young men at the camp. The young man uses his frustration and anger to get the game- winning hits. After his family returns home, he is still bullied and made fun of, and still turns to playing baseball. The neighborhood kids come to realize that he is very good at basebal...more
Surrounded by barbed-wire and fences, "Shorty" and his family along with thousands of Japanese Americans are forced to relocate from their homes to a "camp" after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fighting the heat of the day, and the freezing cold nights, Shorty and the others at camp need something to look forward to wake up to. So they build a baseball field, and a league is formed. Shorty soon finds that he is playing the game not only to win, but to gain self respect and dignity.
The issues of pr...more
The issues of pr...more
Baseball Saved Us is a work of historical fiction that is intended for primary readers. This book has won The Parents Choice Award. It is about a young boy named Shorty that is forced to move to and internment camp with his family. Shorty and his father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the internees. Shorty learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well.
I gave this book five stars because it not only...more
I gave this book five stars because it not only...more
This book is landscape and the cover is very realistic looking. The little boy on the front looks like an average, young, white boy which is common for young childrens books. The color scheme is warm and the title of this book really stands out with the bright orange. The pictures throughout are bordered and vary at which places they are located on the page. The font in this book is very plain and looks black, times new roman and is never on top of the picture. This book has a lot more words tha...more
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Oct 11, 2009 09:18pm