CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Japanese American Wataru Misaka grew up in Ogden, Utah, where he loved playing basketball. Because they were not in a coastal state, Wat’s family was not incarcerated by the government after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. But there was no place for Wat in the segregated dormitories at Utah State. At the time he tried out for and made the college team, he was sleeping under the bleachers. Wat was small but fast on the court—he’d led his high school team to state—but he wasn’t fast enough to outrun the crowd’s insults. Still, he and another Japanese American player led their college team to the championship. Wat served in the Army before returning to college and the basketball court, and he took every opportunity he was given when he was sent into the game. “Gambatte! … Just do my best. For my team. For my community.” Drafted by the New York Knicks in 1947, Wat become the first Japanese American player and first non-white player in professional basketball. This welcome account of a groundbreaking player concludes with a lengthy note telling more about Wat’s life, work, and accomplishments. Appealing, comic-style illustrations excel at conveying action and movement. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Nat Iwata

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: 20th Century Biography Japanese and Japanese Americans Segregation Soldiers/Military Sports U.S. History
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklist: Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin 

Publisher: Lee & Low
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781643796031
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 796 Kim

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