Yoshiko Uchida

The Rooster Who Understood Japanese (1976, Charles Scribner's Sons) is the story of a third grader named Miyo and the relationsip she has with her neighbor, a widow named Mrs. Kitamura who takes care of her after school until her mom gets home from work. Mrs. Kitamura is upset because another neighbor has threatened to go to the police with complaints about her rooster's six o'clock wake-up calls. Despite her efforts to keep the rooster quiet, a policeman comes and tells her to get rid of the rooster. Miyo can't think of a way to help , but she finally writes an ad for her class magazine to try to find a new home or the rooster. The rooster is advertised as friendly, dignified, and understanding Japanese. No one responds, until the retiring custodian,who was the subject of her feature article, notices the ad and decides that the rooster would be a welcome addition to his new place in the country. Mrs. Kitamura has a party for Miyo, the custodian, and even the neighbor who filed the noise complaint.
The thing I like most about this story is the interdependence between Miyo and Mrs. Kitamura. Miyo is able to repay Mrs. Kitamura for all her kindness by helping her with her dilemma. Elements of Japanese culture are woven into the story. Mrs, Kitamura makes a special green tea to calm herself, and she has many Japanese paintings, dolls, and books in her home, as well as a Buddhist altar.
Yoshiko Uchida, who is no longer living, is known for pioneering the field of Japanese American literature for children, but she has books for older readers as well. Some of her most famous books include Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese American Evacuation (1971, Scribner), Journey Home (1978, McElderry), and A Jar of Dreams (1981, McElderry). A more comprehensive list of her books for children can be found at http://pages.sbcglobal.net/gibrich/rpl/Professional/uchida/uchida_biblio.htm.