Learning the Past Before Visiting Pearl Harbor

Last month, I celebrated my birthday with a vacation to Hawaii. Some years back, I set a goal for myself to visit all 50 states by the time I turned 50 and I only had Hawaii and Alaska to go. My birthday falls around the same time as the annual MEA school break, so I brought my 5th grade daughter along for the adventure, and my partner, Shane, as well. We spent a wonderful week on the island of Oahu. The weather was perfect. The ocean water was warm. The food was delicious. We hiked Diamond Head, went parasailing, attended a luau, relaxed on Waikiki, snorkeled, and saw so many beautiful rainbows (four on my birthday alone). We also spent half a day at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. While we didn’t have every activity planned before we left, a visit to this historical site was on my “must-do” list. 

Before leaving on vacation, I had planned to check out a few children’s nonfiction books on Pearl Harbor from the library’s collection. Since my daughter hasn’t studied much about WWII in school yet, I wanted her to have a framework of the event and background context. Knowing some of the facts, even if painted in broad brushstrokes, would help to make the visit much more meaningful and memorable. To be honest, I felt I could use a history lesson refresher myself. Details from my school years have gotten a bit fuzzy over time and I have a greater appreciation for learning history as an adult. However, grabbing some books before the trip kept on getting pushed to the bottom of my “things to get done before vacation” list and before I knew it, we were on our way to the Cities to catch our flight with no resources in hand. Thankfully, there’s eBooks Minnesota. 

eBooks Minnesota is a free, online digital collection for readers of all ages. Most of the titles are from independent Minnesota publishers, although there are nationally and internationally published books as well. This website, also available as an app, can be accessed through the Fergus Falls Public Library’s homepage under “Books and More.” Many of the titles are academic and geared towards educational use, but there are fiction titles to be found. You can search by title or author or visit the “groups” page. Here, books are placed into collections like classic literature, award winning books, world languages, indigenous representations, Mayo Clinic Press titles, books about Minnesota, and more. You can also search for titles for specific grade levels as well as many different topics on the “categories” pages. 

I think the best thing about eBooks MN is that you don’t have to worry about a book being checked out. The vast majority of the titles are available with unlimited use. This means there are no limits on how many times a book can be borrowed and multiple people can have a title checked out at the same time. This really came in handy when I was looking for a book on Pearl Harbor at the last minute. The day before we went, I jumped on eBooks MN and did a search for children’s books on the topic. I was relieved to see that there were 7 titles: one historical fiction, two graphic novels, and four nonfiction books. 

I selected “You are there! Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941” by Donna Rice. This 32-page book was full of information, maps, vocabulary, photographs, and critical thinking questions. It did a great job providing context about what life was like on Oahu before the attack, as well as history about the state of Hawaii. It was also a useful resource on the events that led up to the attack on December 7, 1941, and why President Roosevelt proclaimed it was “a date that will live in infamy.” I read the book aloud to both my daughter and Shane on the way to Pearl Harbor. I’m so glad that I did. To read about such an important historical event and then see where it happened just moments later was incredibly powerful. 

I want readers to take away the reminder that children’s nonfiction can be a great resource even if you’re an adult. And a reminder to visit eBooks Minnesota, whether you’re at home or on vacation. 

Arielle McCune is the Youth Services Librarian at the Fergus Falls Public Library.