Born:
 1934
Monticello, New York,
United States Of America

Current Home:
New York, New York,
United States Of America

Joanne Oppenheim

Biography

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Joanne Oppenheim is the author of more than fifty books for and about children. In addition, she is the president and cofounder of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Inc. One of the country’s most highly regarded child development experts, Oppenheim is seen regularly on NBC’s Today show, where she is a contributor.

Her latest book, Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference, came about when Joanne was planning her high school reunion and began searching for Ellen Yukawa, a Japanese American friend. Through her search she discovered the website of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles and the letters to Miss Breed. With the National Museum’s help, Joanne eventually found her friend and discovered that Ellen had spent the war years at Poston, the internment camp in Arizona from where the letters to Miss Breed were sent. Eager to write about and share these stories, for three years Joanne Oppenheim worked on this book, locating and interviewing many of Miss Breed’s “children.” Joanne hopes that her readers view this story, not as an isolated event of the past, but rather as an event to keep in our collective memory to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Joanne Oppenheim lives in New York City with her husband and is the mother of three grown children and the grandmother of seven.

Visit Joanne Oppenheim's website.

• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store

  Dear Miss Breed by Joanne Oppenheim When war broke out in 1941, Clara Breed was a San Diego librarian and friend to dozens of Japanese-American children and teens. These young people wrote to her after they were sent to internment camps. Their story unfolds in this collection of letters that show how she remained a lifeline to these young people and fought the injustice of her time. Page Turners Showcasing a human side of history through primary source materials, this book grows the reader's sens $22.99 Hardcover Book | Grades 6-12

  
  Dear Miss Breed
  Grades 6-12 $22.99
  
• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store
  	Elementary Bios: Albert Einstein (Sp) by Joanne Mattern, Laurence Santrey and Ellen Beier Chapter books packed with information that inspires reading about the lives and contributions of gifted and courageous men and women. $3.99 Paperback Book | Grades 3-5

  
  Elementary Bios: Albert Einstein (Sp)
  Grades 3-5 $3.99