Written by Lauren R. Harris
Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
Published by South Dakota Historical Society Press (April 2022)

Learn more about the making of the illustrations.
Learn more about the shared history of the Higashi family and mine.
Learn more about my visit to Spearfish, Kenny’s hometown.

where to buy…

Available at your local bookstores, online stores, and South Dakota Historical Society Press.

$19.95
Hardback
32 Pages
ISBN: 9781941813317

the story…

The son of Japanese immigrants, Kenny Higashi works on his family’s vegetable farm near the town of Spearfish in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Kenny loves his family, their farm, and his hometown. He cheerfully volunteers for extra jobs.

Then Japan attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and everything changes.

Thousands of Japanese American families are forced out of their homes into guarded camps. Kenny’s community comes together in support of his family, but soon two soldiers arrive. Kenny or his brother must join the United States Army or his whole family will be forced to move into a camp. Kenny volunteers for duty.

Kenneth Ray Higashi joins the 100th Infantry Battalion, which becomes part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. His battalion is made up of Nisei like him, young men born to Japanese American immigrants. The unit’s motto is “Go For Broke.” They are brave and loyal soldiers who volunteer for extra duties.

Author Lauren R. Harris, who knew Kenny Higashi, transforms his memories of his hometown and the war into a story of community, hope, and determination. Illustrator Felicia Hoshino transports readers from the heartland of the United States to European battlefields.

“A breathtakingly tender story of both person and homeland, A Place for Harvest humanizes the incredible diversity of the Japanese American experience… An absolute essential read.”

– Katie Yamasaki, author of Fish for Jimmy

the author…

Lauren R. Harris grew up in a military family that moved across the United States. In each new place, she found the nearest library and devoured every book she could get her hands on. As her love of reading grew, Harris sought to share it with others, becoming a teacher and then a writer. She wrote for the Rapid City Journal, Down Country Roads, and Black Hills Pioneer, documenting community life. When writing her first children’s book on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, titled The Plum Neighbor, she met and interviewed Kenny Higashi for the first time. Today, Lauren lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and daughter and continues to record soldiers’ stories and experiences.

Please visit Lauren’s website to learn more! laurenrharris.com

the illustrator…

Felicia Hoshino is the prize-winning illustrator of multiple children’s books, including Jane Addams Peace Award winner A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts and lives with her family in San Francisco, California. Her parents’ families were forced to move into the Minidoka (Idaho) and Poston (Arizona) incarceration camps. Like Kenny Higashi, two of her great uncles served in the 442nd.