When her Gram comes all the way from Maine for a visit, Nanami's Baachan suggests a trip to the seashore, where they spend the day gathering wakame - a long, curvy seaweed used in everything from Miso soup to salad. Acting as a translator for her American and Japanese grandmothers, Nanami learns a little bit about Baachan's wartime experiences, and the different ways in which seaweed is used in America.

A lovely picture-book exploration of the meeting of two cultures, The Wakame Gatherers is the perfect book for any young child of mixed ethnic or national heritage. It gently emphasizes areas of common experience, without trying to deny or flatten out the differences. It would have been interesting to know if Gram had any wartime memories, but the setting made the focus on Baachan quite natural. The conclusion offers real emotional satisfaction, while making it clear that communication, and the work of building mutual understanding and respect, is an ongoing process. ( )

A story about an American-Japanese girl whose family lives in Japan with her father's mother, Baachan. Her maternal grandmother visits from Maine and Nanami serves as a translator for her two grandmothers. Nanami and her grandmothers spend a day gathering wakame, a delicious seaweed harvested in the village. They come to realise their similarities and become accepting of their differences.
Review by: Fiona

School Library Journal: Gr 1-3-A story about an American-Japanese girl whose family lives in Japan with her father's mother, Baachan. Her maternal grandmother visits from Maine and Nanami serves as a translator for her two grandmothers. Baachan is curious about Maine, particularly about seaweed harvesting. The cold ocean waters along its shore seem like a perfect environment for seaweed, so Baachan is surprised that it is not a big crop there. Nanami and her grandmothers spend a day gathering wakame, a delicious seaweed harvested in the village. Thompson provides fascinating details about life in rural Japan and the process of collecting, preserving, and preparing wakame, including a few easy recipes. She smoothly draws cultural comparisons while adroitly addressing the women's different perspectives on their childhoods during World War II. Colorful illustrations strengthen the parallels with interesting details, although the human figures sometimes seem flat. Particularly lovely are the endpapers-watery, seaweed-green watercolors depicting different types of seaweed on cream paper. This unpretentious story provides many opportunities for further exploration and discussion: the obvious comparisons of two cultures; the meaning of family; war and forgiveness; ecology, particularly the expansion of food resources; and differences and similarities among coastal environments around the world. An excellent choice for most collections.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.