Pistes d'exploration

Discuss the war relocation centres and what happened in WWII. Why were they established? Discuss the pros and cons.

Research the war relocation centres. Make a poster of your findings to present to the class.

In the book, the father talks about being a “true American.” What does he mean by this? What does it mean to be a true Canadian?

Why do we have monuments and who are they for? What and how do they help us remember? Are they necessary? What monuments do you have in your community?

Discuss why some pictures are in black and white while others are in colour.

Discuss the pros and cons of the war relocation centres from WWII. Why were they established?

In the book, the father talks about being a “true American.” What does he mean by this? What does it mean to be a true Canadian?

Why do we have monuments and who are they for? What and how do they help us remember? Are they necessary? What monuments do you have in your community?

In the story, the grandpa remembers the sea and fishing. What do your grandparents or parents appreciate about their younger years?

Gleam and Glow, Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War

Mots-clés

Picture book , family history , heritage , internment , war , World War II

Commentaire descriptif

It is 1972 and seven-year-old Laura Iwasaki and her family, who are moving to the East Coast for good, are visiting the site of the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California to say goodbye to her grandfather who died there in 1943, during the Japanese Internment. This picture book for older children offers a sensitive glimpse into a dark period through the eyes of a young girl whose present-day story, focused on leaving a special graveside gift for her grandfather, also contains the past story of the internment of her father's family. Visual cues help readers keep the two timelines separate in their minds: poignant and expressive illustrations alternate between full watercolour paintings, depicting the present, and black-and-white pencil drawings which provide the backstory of the hardships faced by thousands of Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Teachers could use the factual afterword included at the end as a resource for further study or to provoke discussion about other complex historical events. The book can also be used in a lesson on first-person narration or the use of flashbacks in storytelling.