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Finalist for the 2023 Spur Award for Best Western Children's Picture Book!
The son of Japanese immigrants, Kenny Higashi works on his family’s vegetable farm near the town of Spearfish in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Kenny loves his family, their farm, and his hometown. He cheerfully volunteers for extra jobs.
Then Japan attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and everything changes.
Thousands of Japanese American families are forced out of their homes into guarded camps. Kenny’s community comes together in support of his family, but soon two soldiers arrive. Kenny or his brother must join the United States Army or his whole family will be forced to move into a camp. Kenny volunteers for duty.
Kenneth Ray Higashi joins the 100th Infantry Battalion, which becomes part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. His battalion is made up of Nisei like him, young men born to Japanese American immigrants. The unit’s motto is "Go For Broke.” They are brave and loyal soldiers who volunteer for extra duties.
Author Lauren R. Harris, who knew Kenny Higashi, transforms his memories of his hometown and the war into a story of community, hope, and determination. Illustrator Felicia Hoshino transports readers from the heartland of the United States to European battlefields.
"A breathtakingly tender story of both person and homeland, A Place for Harvest humanizes the incredible diversity of the Japanese American experience. . . . An absolute essential read."—Katie Yamasaki, author of Fish for Jimmy
"Hoshino's lovely, detailed illustrations perfectly complement Harris's text and transport us from the Higashi Farm and Spearfish to the battlegrounds of Europe. . . . A Place for Harvest is a sincere telling of Kenny Higashi's life and is an important addition to the collection of picture books teaching about the Japanese American experience during World War II."—Lisa Tsukamoto, Nichi Bei Weekly
“A Place for Harvest . . . tells the story of Kenny Higashi, who joined the all-Japanese 100th Infantry Battalion, C Company [during World War II]. It's a tale of loyalty to home, family and country that Higashi held until his death in 2020 at age 98.” — South Dakota Magazine
South Dakota Arts Council support for this audiobook is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
