MOWMT 11: Heart and History in PBs with Jolene Gutiérrez

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As a teacher librarian, many of the resources I share with my students feature important history. Dry nonfiction isn’t enough to hook readers--these stories need to have heart. I want my students to walk in others’ shoes. I hope they’ll learn from the past so we don’t keep repeating it. I need them to feel something. I center these goals as both a teacher and as a writer.

A book that hooked my readers by getting them to not just walk in someone else’s shoes but to also ride in the saddle with them is Hope Rode by Lauren H. Kerstein and Becca Stadtlander. This book shares information about the Packhorse Library project of the 1930s and 1940s and shows us how women in Kentucky rode through horrible weather and rough terrain to reach and teach readers. My students loved seeing how the brave actions of these librarians changed others’ lives.

A book that taught my readers to learn from the past and learn from others is Suka’s Farm by Ginger Park, Frances Park, and Tiffany Chen. This story is inspired by experiences the Park sisters’ father had when he was growing up in Korea. In the story, Kwan and his family work hard every day to put meals on their table, but they are struggling. Walking past Mr. Suka’s farm, Kwan sees beautiful fruits, grains, and vegetables. Because Mr. Suka is Japanese, his farm is supposed to be off-limits for Kwan, but Kwan can’t help himself--he asks the grumpy Mr. Suka for a job. Soon, Kwan’s hard work and respect start to melt Mr. Suka’s icy attitude. When the goats they both love are in danger, we see the relationship that has grown between the two. This is a beautiful example of what happens when we let our walls down and really get to know each other.

 It’s easy to recognize a story that makes us feel something. I sobbed when I read Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin for the first time. The books that stay with us and precipitate change are oftentimes the ones that cause emotional distress. I want my students to sit with discomfort. I want them to learn and grow in compassion. I know that opening our hearts and hearing others’ stories will help my learners do just that. In Watercress, we see the young girl’s embarrassment when her family picks watercress by the side of the road. Later, we learn about a loss during a famine in China and understand the importance of watercress today.

As a teacher librarian, I know the kind of books that I like to share with my students. And sometimes, I’m able to write some of those types of stories. Ten years ago, I was working on a nonfiction manuscript about Japanese American incarceration camps, especially Amache, the incarceration camp in Colorado. When I interviewed Minoru Tonai, a survivor of Amache, his story was so powerful that I knew I wanted to shift my project and see if we could work together to tell his story. On April 7, our story Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp, illustrated by Chris Sasaki and published by Abrams Books, will be out in the world. I hope this story will help readers to walk in Min’s shoes, to learn from this horrible past so we don’t keep repeating it, and to feel something and grow in compassion.

PRIZE:

Jolene will be offering a copy of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp to one winner in the continental U.S. (no P.O. boxes, please).

BIO: Jolene Gutiérrez grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado, surrounded by animals, plants, and history. Now, she lives with her family and a variety of animals near Denver, where she is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian who has been working with neurodivergent learners since 1995. Jolene writes for young readers and hopes her books will help some readers feel seen and will help others learn and grow in compassion. Her books include Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (co-authored with her daughter Shaian), and Too Much! An Overwhelming Day and have been printed in nine countries and eight languages.

Website: jolenegutierrez.com                              

Facebook: facebook.com/writerjolene

Instagram: instagram.com/writerjolene            

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/writerjolene.bsky.social

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