New Releases by Sunny Seki

"Whether working in his studio or out in the field, Japanese artist Hokusai had a constant companion--his youngest daughter, Eijo. Hokusai's Daughter tells the story of a clever girl who refuses to believe that only men can create great works of art."--

A girl with grit, determination, passion and a paintbrush—can achieve amazing things! Whether working in his studio or out in the field, Japanese artist Hokusai had a constant companion—his youngest daughter, Eijo. Wherever they went, Eijo brought along her own bag of brushes and the same artistic brilliance and passion as her dad. Hokusai's Daughter tells the story of a clever girl who refuses to believe that only men can create great works of art. Told that she can't become an artist because she's a girl, Eijo sets out to prove everyone wrong. She's determined to become the proverbial koi that swims up the waterfall and becomes a mighty dragon—fighting against the current to be the person she is meant to be. Her creativity and spunk surprise everyone, including her father, when she finally saves the day—and her dad's honor—to prove that she's not just a good artist, but a great one! Katsushika Oi, called Eijo, created many remarkable artworks and had a hand in her illustrious father's later work. This beautifully illustrated bilingual story book celebrates the power of grit and artistic expression, as it introduces young readers to a trailblazing figure who, like her famous father, left a lasting impression in the world of art. Hokusai's Daughter is a timeless tale that teaches kids to believe in themselves and follow their passion. Includes an appendix to help parents share information with their kids about Hokusai—his influence and style—and his daughter Eijo, as well as traditions about koi and how woodblock prints are made. Samples of Eijo's work will include images from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Menard Art Museum, and the Tokyo National Museum.

With unique and playful illustrations this multicultural children's book is a classic Japanese fairy tale that young children and parents alike will love. The Last Kappa of Old Japan is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated bilingual Japanese children's book that introduces many aspects of traditional Japanese culture and folklore, while teaching an important lesson about environmentalism. The story is of a young Japanese farm boy who develops a friendship with a mythical creature— the kappa—a messenger of the god of water. The tale begins in post-Modern Japan when the boy is young and the kappa is healthy and ends when the kappa, now the last one left on Earth, keeps an important promise to his human friend. A story of love, friendship, and adventure, readers of all ages will enjoy this picture book by award-winning author/illustrator, Sunny Seki. This bilingual edition includes Japanese text alongside the english, making it a great way for kids to lean Japanese.

With unique and playful illustrations this multicultural children's book is a classic Japanese fairy tale that young children and parents alike will love. The Last Kappa of Old Japan is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated bilingual Japanese children's book that introduces many aspects of traditional Japanese culture and folklore while teaching an important lesson about environmentalism. The story is of a young Japanese farm boy who develops a friendship with a mythical creature— the kappa—a messenger of the god of water. The tale begins in post-Modern Japan when the boy is young, and the kappa is healthy and ends when the kappa, now the last one left on Earth, keeps an important promise to his human friend. A story of love, friendship, and adventure, readers of all ages will enjoy this picture book by award-winning author/illustrator, Sunny Seki. This bilingual edition includes Japanese text alongside the English, making it a great way for kids to learn Japanese.

"Kana-chan is a brave, clever girl who works at a hot springs in Fukushima. One day the village faces a big challenge, and because of Kana-chan the kokeshi doll is born. Written in both English and Japanese, this is a beaufiful story of the harmony of people, nature, traditional craftsmanship, and survival"--Back cover.

With unique and playful illustrations this multicultural children's book is a classic Japanese fairy tale that young children and parents alike will love. The Last Kappa of Old Japan is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated children's book that introduces many aspects of traditional Japanese culture and folklore, while teaching an important lesson about environmentalism. The story is of a young Japanese farm boy who develops a friendship with a mythical creature-- the kappa--a messenger of the god of water. The tale begins in post-Modern Japan when the boy is young and the kappa is healthy and ends when the kappa, now the last one left on Earth, keeps an important promise to his human friend. A story of love, friendship, and adventure, readers of all ages will enjoy this picture book by award-winning author/illustrator, Sunny Seki.

"A fun book for eco-conscious parents who aren't afraid of a little extra work in order to extend the life of their kids' clothes. Children can help with these projects as well." — Whitney Bates-Gomez, Library Journal Kids are tough on their clothes…Fortunately, they're creative too! Mending With Kids shows you how to make kids' torn and stained clothes wearable again using a variety of simple sewing and decorating techniques that foster kids' participation. It includes helpful tips and techniques for patching, collage (with felt and fabrics), iron-ons, stenciling, darning, embroidery, hand-painting, and much more—including templates for making your own patches and stencils! Best of all, most of these techniques are easy enough for kids to join in and put their personal stamp on their clothes—which they absolutely love doing! And with your supervision, they'll pick up practical skills along the way. In this book, you'll find practical ideas and advice on clothes-savers like: Using added bands of fabric to cover, patch and lengthen jeans and trousers (kids outgrow them so fast!) Combining patching with embroidery to make a repair into a design element Embroidering around holes to make them look like part of the original design (make a worm hole in an embroidered apple, for instance!) Turning an iron-on patch into a canvas for your kid's artistry—just grab some permanent markers and have fun Covering stains with a creative use of paint (use the stencil patterns in this book, or use ready-made stencils to add favorite animals, cars, flowers and more) And many other ideas that turn clothing repair into a shared adventure! It's a win-win-win collaboration—you, your kids, and this book!

This retelling of the most famous Japanese folktale captures positive values, love and kindness. A toymaker who cares for an injured cat ends up having his own life saved and is repaid with good fortune. This classic story reminds us that doing a good deed may offer its own rewards.

A humble toymaker is rewarded for helping an injured cat in this story that explains the origin of the maneki neko, or lucky cat statues that are popular throughout Japan for spreading good fortune.

A humble toymaker is rewarded for helping an injured cat in this story that explains the origin of the maneki neko, or lucky cat statues that are popular throughout Japan for spreading good fortune.

A bilingual retelling of the traditional Japanese tale of how a toymaker's kindness to an injured cat is repaid by good fortune.

In Los Angeles, California's China City in 1942, twelve-year-old Mei Ling Lee helps her parents in their restaurant during the Moon Festival celebration, raises money for women and children refugees in China, and worries about her Japanese American friend, Yayeko Akiyama, whose family was relocated to Manzanar. Includes facts about China City and the Manzanar War Relocation Center.

A bilingual retelling of the traditional Japanese tale of how a toymaker's kindness to an injured cat is repaid by good fortune.