Thirty Minutes Over Oregon

August 1, 2018
The true story of the Japanese pilot who bombed the continental United States during World War II.In 1941, the United States was drawn into World War II after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. retaliated with a bombing raid on Tokyo. Wanting to prove that the continental U.S. could be bombed, Japan sent Nobuo Fujita in a small plane to bomb the woods of Oregon and start a raging fire. Flying over the small town of Brookings, Oregon, Nobuo dropped the bombs into the forest, but the bombs did not create the devastation and panic that Japan had hoped for. After Japan surrendered to the U.S. and its allies, Nobuo resumed civilian life with his family but lived with guilt and shame over his wartime actions. Years later the town of Brookings invited the Japanese bomber to their Memorial Day festival. Readers can follow his emotional journey toward forgiveness and peace. Nobuo's story of reconciliation, not only for him, but for Japan and the U.S., is powerful and poignant. Using watercolors and finely inked lines, Iwai illustrates the moving moments and events in Nobuo's life with grace and humanity. The story captures a side of World War II readers may not have seen before.A must-read story of a lesser-known World War II event and its aftermath. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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September 3, 2018
Nobleman (Fairy Spell) tells the little-known story of the only airplane bombing of the U.S. mainland during WWII—from a plane launched from a submarine via catapult. The book focuses on Nobuo Fujita, the Japanese pilot who flew the missions. Initial pages detail the September 1942 bombings of Oregon timberland, one early in the morning and one at night, in hopes of igniting a forest fire. The second half of the book describes later reconciliation visits between the pilot and residents of the tiny coastal town of Brookings: “Nobuo donated thousands of dollars to the town, specifically so that the library could buy children’s books that celebrate other cultures.” He also hosted high school students from Brookings, planted a tree at the bomb site, and, after he died, even had some of his ashes spread there: “A flutist played a solo combining the national anthems of Japan and America.” Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations by Iwai (So Small! Yosemite) deftly convey the story’s many emotions. Full-color spreads and vignettes match a clear narrative that pays tribute to a change of heart and the importance of cultural understanding. Ages 6–9.

November 1, 2018

Gr 2-5-In this moving tale of war and reconciliation Nobleman relates the experiences of Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita, who flew two bombing missions over Brookings, OR, in 1942 (causing little damage and no loss of life) and returned to the scene 20 years later at the town's invitation to deliver a formal apology. What began as a then-controversial stunt intended to promote local tourism turned into something more profound-a warm lifelong relationship, with exchanges of visits and gifts until his death in 1997. Iwai matches the account's measured, matter-of-fact language with quiet watercolor scenes of a distant plane and a subdued explosion, of the dignified Fujita and his postwar family (who knew nothing of his missions until the invitation arrived), and of townsfolk welcoming him with a parade and ceremonies. Rather than adding a typical (and tedious) recap at the end, the author closes with a note on what drew him to this episode and an appreciation of the spirit shown on both sides, but particularly Fujita's: "He went from fighting to uniting. Which took more courage?" VERDICT A worthy addition for younger middle graders.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
Grades 2-4 In 1942, a small plane was catapulted from a Japanese submarine off the Oregon coast. Nobuo, the pilot, had strapped his family's 400-year-old samurai sword to his seat before flying over Brookings, a tiny town, to the woods beyond it, where his navigator dropped two bombs. Only one exploded, doing little damage on the ground, but its aftereffects on the pilot were almost unbearable. After the war, Nobuo told no one about the raid, but guilt weighed heavily on him until, in 1962, Brookings invited him back. Returning with his family, he presented his ancestral sword to the town. Nobuo revisited it several times, hosted local students on a tour of Japan, and died an honorary citizen of Brookings. Clearly written and sometimes moving, this quiet story is less about war than the toll it takes on those who fight, the possibility of reconciliation, and the value of understanding other cultures. The fluid, emotionally resonant ink-and-watercolor illustrations create period scenes effectively while capturing the tone of the text. A war story with a heartening conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)