Dear Ichiro

Eight-year-old Henry and his friend Oliver are having a fight. When Henry gets a time-out, he wishes Oliver would get one too — for life. "I hate Oliver," he says. "He's my enemy. I'll hate him forever." The day takes a turn when Grampa Charlie takes Henry to a baseball game. Charlie, a World War II veteran, cheers on the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki, and his enthusiasm for the Japanese players paves the way for Henry and Oliver's reconciliation. In the tradition of Baseball Saved Us, Jean Davies Okimoto's heartwarming story and Doug Keith's whimsical illustrations offer a message of hope.