Description With the help of a magical friend, a young girl searches for her missing father in this poignant story set during Japanese internment in World War II. It's a week until Mira's birthday, and she's getting worried. Where is Papa? He has never missed her birthday before. When Mira's friend Baku, a creature from Japanese folklore, offers to help, they journey over farmlands and forests, mountains and river mouths, gathering clues to Papa's whereabouts--clues that echo Mira's memories and overheard conversations in the camp where she lives with Mama. Lushly illustrated by up-and-coming illustrator Michelle Theodore, this tender, moving picture book by debut author Sara Truuvert explores the profound impacts of family separation and the different forms comfort can take for a child processing loss. Further reading on Japanese internment and a note from the author add to readers' understanding of this underrepresented period of history.