This memoir by Barbara-Ann Gamboa Lewis recounts her childhood as “Pooh”, a biracial girl growing up on the outskirts of Manila during the Japanese occupation and later American liberation. With equal parts adventure, hardship and self-discovery she scrounges for firewood, evades bullies, flies a makeshift crate-airplane and plays her violin for a sad Japanese officer. First published in 2000, it holds significance as a rare English-language personal account of childhood in wartime Philippines, giving young readers both historical insight and human connection.