Naomi: The Strawberry Blonde of Pippu Town

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Winnipeg,
Manitoba.

Naomi, who desperately wanted to stay in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba,
with her grandparents with whom she had lived since the divorce,
reluctantly travels to Japan with her mother, Sara, who has accepted a
teaching job near Pippu town. Living in Pippu with Keiko, Sara’s
friend, whom she had met years earlier during a teaching stint in Japan,
Naomi feels miserable in this strange country with its foreign culture
and language. However, after protesting for two months, she realizes she
is lonely. Keiko introduces her to Midori, who in turn connects her with
Ai and Kiyoko—they teach her Japanese, she teaches them English. Naomi
eventually masters enough Japanese to compete in a haiku contest.

Between home schooling and attending Pippu Junior High part time, Naomi
develops academically and socially. She discovers aspects of Japanese
culture and teaches her new friends about Canadian culture. Although
Naomi initially resents her forced cultural immersion, she comes to care
deeply for her new friends and adopts Keiko as her Japanese grandmother.
When Sara announces they will return to a job back in Manitoba, Naomi is
torn between her new life and her old.

Schreyer packs the story with information about Japan—language,
customs, festivals, observances, rituals, food, the educational system.
Her descriptions ring with authenticity, reflecting her own three years
of teaching in Japan. For some young readers, however, the density of
information may prove rather overwhelming. Similarly, the book includes
Japanese vocabulary that is explained but may cause some confusion and
difficulty for readers. Finally, the author tends to tell us about her
characters rather than allowing them to reveal themselves.

For the reader who perseveres, Naomi’s story provides rich insight
into a fascinating culture. Recommended.