This book was written by 94 students, aged 8-14, at Westridge Elementary School (Littleton, Colorado) during a summer enrichment class. The book was written for anyone who wants to learn about Japanese-American culture and heritage. Chapter 1 gives an overview of Japanese history before American contact, the immigration of Japanese to America, the discrimination and exclusion faced by the Japanese, service in World War II, the internment camps, the struggle to redress the injustices by the U.S. government, and the situation in the United States today. Chapter 2 provides four personal narratives from families about their grandparents experiences in the United States. Chapter 3 discusses culture and the arts, including festivals, martial arts, music and dance, the tea ceremony, singing, architecture, calligraphy, and selected young Japanese-American artists. Chapter 4, "Famous Firsts and Heroes," features biographies of Takino Washimi Takamatsu, John Aiso, Minoru Yasui, Tsuyako "Sox" Kitashima, Yoshiko Uchida, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Kristi Yamaguchi. Another section of the chapter contains short biographies of Joseph Heco, Fred Wada, Minoru Yamasaki, John Naka, Mike Masaoka, Yuri Kochiyama, Sadao Munemori, Sayuri Harami, Patsy Takemoto Mink, Dr. Paul I. Terasaki, Edison Uno, Norman Mineta, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Daniel Nakumura. Chapter 5 includes three folktales common to Japanese culture, a language section with practice in writing Japanese along with expressions and common Japanese words, and a literature section for additional resources. Chapter 6 presents interviews with Japanese who relate the importance of their culture, family traditions and values. The last chapter presents hands-on activities including crafts, games, and recipes for traditional foods. The book contains numerous illustrations and photographs and concludes with a list of student and teacher participants, a glossary of Japanese words, and an index. (EH)