Naomi's Road

First published to critical acclaim in 1986, Naomi’s Road is the story of a girl whose Japanese-Canadian family is uprooted during the Second World War. Separated from their parents, Naomi and her brother Stephen are sent to an internment camp in the interior of British Columbia. For the young girl growing up, war only means that she can no longer return to her home in Vancouver, or see her parents. Told from a child’s point of view and without a trace of anger or malice, Naomi’s Road has been praised as a powerful indictment of the injustice of war and the government’s treatment of Japanese-Canadian citizens, both during and well after World War II.

This new edition is based on an expanded version of the story published in Japan. In it, Kogawa brings in more of the extended family and answers the question so often asked by fans of the original book: What happened to Naomi’s mother? With a historical note and a new ending, cover, and interior drawings by popular children’s illustrator Ruth Ohi, this book will be an absolute must for owners of the original as well as a whole new generation of young readers.

Joy Kogawa was born in Vancouver in 1935. Like Naomi, Kogawa and her family were sent to internment camps in Slocan, British Columbia and later to Coaldale, Alberta during the Second World War. After teaching in Coaldale after the war, she eventually moved to Toronto, Ontario, where she lives today. Kogawa is a recipient of numerous honorary doctorates as well as national and international awards for her writing. In 1986, Kogawa was named a Member of the Order of Canada.

Ruth Ohi is the popular illustrator of over forty books for children. Her presentations and workshops make her a frequent welcome visitor to schools and libraries. She has illustrated No Monster's Here, Into My Mother's Arms, and The Bye-Bye Pie, which won the Blue Spruce Award. Ruth also wrote and illustrated her first board book, Pants Off First!, and she created the cover image and drawings for Naomi's Road. Ruth, her husband, and children live in Toronto, Ontario.