Thanks to the generosity of a Los Altos family, a special library has a great selection of new hardback books on their shelves!

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Sak Morimoto, a Los Altos resident, met with the school librarian in Oganawa, Japan, discovered a need for high-quality English-language books, and committed himself to help rebuild the library.

The fundraising for this project has been a family effort. Wako Morimoto (now in 7th grade at Blach Junior High), and Toki Morimoto (Loyola 1st grade) raised funds at Loyola Elementary School and Sak and his wife Kumiko have also been receiving contributions on the “Books. Hope.” facebook page. In the spirit of “think global, act local,” they then chose to keep the dollars in Los Altos by making a large purchase at Linden Tree.

When we became aware of this, we were more than happy to contribute to the effort by providing a deep discount to allow for maximum use of the fundraising dollars.

Once again, our stellar booksellers came through with suggestions for a variety of new and classic books, including titles like “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble,” the “Madeleine” series, the Eric Carle collection, and “Where the Wild Things Are” along with many other store favorites.

The family was in Japan over the holiday break to hand-deliver a “We Are Friends” card from students at Loyola, the books to the librarians, and to meet with town officials and politicians (pictured above).

Details about the earthquake and tsunami’s effect in Oganawa

Building with the green roof capsized on its side

The town of Onagawa had approximately 10,000 people before the Tsunami/Quake. They lost about 900 (including those who died and those still missing) which is nearly 10% of the population.

One of the women working for the Town Municipality and who is responsible for administering the library emphasized the importance of books for kids. During the worst period when there was no entertainment or toys to play with, books really encouraged them. Children who lost their mothers in particular were able to access their happy memories of reading together.

To the left is the building where the officials pictured above used to work. They fled to the 5th floor of the building and stayed there for a couple of days. Because the Tsunami water came up to “4th” floor, the inside of the building is totally destroyed.

The local school was already on holiday break when the Morimoto family visited. The school officials promised to take photos with the children and will be sending on to us soon for us to share. We will share pictures and updates as they become available and we continue to be inspired by similar stories throughout our community!