This short novel details the experience of the young siblings Sasan and Sidak during the Japanese invasion of their village Attu in 1942. The pair were on their way to fish camp when their home was invaded. They encounter enemy soldier Taro, nursing him back to health, before being rescued by American soldiers in this straightforward and sympathetic story. ( )

Griese, Arnold. The Wind is Not a River. Illus. by Glo Coalson. Boyds Mills Press. 1978. 113 pp. Upper Elementary.

Sasan and her younger brother, Sidak, find an injured Japanese soldier whilst hiding from the Japanese army, who has captured their Attu village. They have to hide in the hills and live off the land to avoid capture and try to find help. Upon finding this soldier, they approach the dilemma of saving him or keeping themselves safe. The “old ways” are consistently referenced, and the soldier is saved. The tone is sincere, and straightforward.

AK Context: It’s accurate in that during World War II, the Aleutian islands were targeted for Japanese invasion. However, the references to the “old ways” is a little odd and not typically how I think of indigenous children referring to their culture in the early 40s in Alaska. So, that brings of some similar questions as Julie of the Wolves did.

Activity: If this is part of a WWII history unit, we could focus on finding some more locations that occurred between Alaska and Japan.

Historical Fiction: Chapter Book
Griese, Arnold The Wind is Not a River. Illust. by Glo Coalson. Boyds Mills Press, 1978. 113p. Upper Elementary
It is June, 1942, on the island ofAttu, when Sasan and her younger brother, Sidak, discover that Japanese soldiers have taken over their village. They have to hide in the hills and live off the land to avoid capture and try to find help. Straightforward, moving story told in a third-person narrative point of view. Themes are family and survival.
AK: Attu, Aleut village life and traditional ways, AK History
Activity: Ask students if they knew that Japanese forces had landed in Alaska in World War II. Have them find Attu on a map. ( )