Taunts from her Hispanic students spurred a Japanese-American second-grade teacher to develop a multicultural unit that helped children appreciate the culture they had previously jeered. Her goal is to help students develop cross-cultural acceptance and strategies to work through their own prejudices and to maintain their own dignity when they…

Describes how participants (student authors ages 8 to 14) in the Westridge Young Writers Workshop (in a suburb of Denver, CO) came to deeper cultural awareness and respect through the exploration of the experiences of one ethnic group--Japanese Americans. (SR)

The current belief is that Japanese Americans are passive, industrious, respectful, patient, and intelligent. They have been transformed from the "yellow peril" into the "model minority". Education featuring respect for and awareness of various ethnicities will eliminate much prejudice. (JN)

Presents annotated bibliographies of children's books about Japanese Americans and Japan. Distinguishing between immigrant culture and culture of the land of origin is an important point in multicultural education. Sixteen fiction and nonfiction sources on Japanese Americans are cited; 28 titles about Japan are included. (SLD)

Discusses five books for young adults by author Yoshiko Uchida. Notes that these books, accessible to children in grades 5 and above, describe the prejudice against Japanese Americans, internment camps, and upheaval, sorrow, and anger spawned by the American government's racist actions. Shows how the books can prompt discussions about cultural…