UP, UP, EVER UP! by Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Buffy Silverman for Roundup.

It is my pleasure today to welcome Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu, the creators behind a new beautiful picture book biography about Junko Tabei entitled  UP, UP, EVER UP! (Clarion, Sept. 24, 2024)

Here's the publisher's description: 

"Junko Tabei dreamed of a life climbing mountains. But men refused to climb with her. Sponsors told her to stay home. And gloves were not made to fit her hands. Junko, eager and unstoppable, wouldn’t let these obstacles get in her way.

Instead, she planned an expedition to summit Mount Everest with an all-women team. Battling icy peaks, deep crevasses, and even an avalanche, Junko refused to give up. She climbed step by step . . . up, up, ever up!

After summiting the world’s tallest peak, Junko took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations.

This gorgeously illustrated celebration of a trailblazing climber who shattered gender stereotypes invites us to dare to reach our dreams—no matter how big."

Readers, I've known Yuko since we worked together on THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor! And it was Yuko who introduced me to Anita. I'm so grateful! And I LOVE this book. It's for dreamers and do-ers. So inspiring!

Before I share their lovely interview with you, I invite you to visit Smack Dab in the Middle where I talk about going deeper in our writing...and offer a worksheet for creating an Artist's Declaration, or mission statement. Enjoy!

 Also, you'll find my latest ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem at the end of the post. In honor of Junko (and Yuko and Anita!), I've selected a piece by Japanese folk art, also called "mingei." The piece in particular is Childbirth by Shiko Munakata, Woodcut Reworked with Brush and Black Sumi Ink, 1959, Cincinnati Art Museum.

Now, please welcome Anita and Yuko!

FRESH

Anita Yasuda

Anita: I had the idea to work on a picture book about Junko Tabei while discussing hiking with one of my closest friends, whom I walked with daily when my family lived in California. My friend was planning a climbing trek in Nepal and training hard. While I was not going to be training for such an endeavor, the wheels in my mind had already started planning a fresh picture book, which became Up, up. The picture book then took shape during these walks and a year later when I returned to Canada.

I am lucky to live in southern Ontario, where I can access miles of looping trails, boardwalks around beaver ponds, and rugged lookouts. I write best in the early mornings. As I walk, I inhale the fresh air. With that air comes fresh ideas and ways to work through story problems step by step, like the subject of this picture book biography, Junko Tabei.

DELICIOUS

Anita: During the research process, I found ideas that were sweeter than Nepalese fried dough dipped in sugar syrup. The joy of investigating new projects is like the thrill of discovering a new trail. It's a journey of curiosity and excitement.

Both journeys begin with curiosity. What will I discover? What is waiting for me along the route? When I dove into stacks of books, newspaper articles, and online interviews of Junko Tabei, I was thrilled when I came across a list of team members from the 1975 Everest climb. It felt like I was holding a day pass for a hike.

I then set out to contact each person on that list. I assumed correctly that some would still be involved in climbing clubs. Though there were many tough dead ends and moments when I questioned my approach, it also became easier. As publication day approaches, the most rewarding part of this journey is the joy of meeting many new people and hearing their stories, all because of this picture book, Up, up.

DIFFICULT

Yuko Shimizu,
photo by Matt Dutile

Yuko: The most difficult part of each book illustration process is the beginning. I usually don’t know anything about the subject I will be illustrating. So, before going into the initial idea stages, I have to learn. I was never an athletic child, and my knowledge of mountaineering was very minimal. 

I usually start my process by reading many books and learning the subject, initially more of just reading, then moving onto books with photos. (followed by watching some films, and then finally photo research.) I bought and read 10+ books, many were by Junko, some are about Junko, and others about Himalayas, Mt. Everest, and the Sherpa people. I honestly have no idea how illustrators worked before the internet. But thanks to internet, and mainly Abe Books, I was able to find a lot of obscure vintage books about Mt. Everest, and I visited Japanese bookstore sites to get books by and about Junko (lucky Japanese is my first language). 

Illustrators need to accurately draw and paint, especially when it’s a historical and bio book. But photos of Junko's 1970's Mt. Everest trip were mostly missing from internet. This created a huge headache in my early stage of reference research. Eventually I found online a photo book released in the 1970s in Japan. I searched and searched until I found a copy of a used copy on a Japanese marketplace. That was like hitting a jackpot. I don’t know what I would have done without it. I used it so much the book fell apart by the time I finished illustrating all the pages. 

ANYTHING ELSE

Yuko: Because I am a research nerd, by the time I was starting to actually draw the final art, I was fully equipped to “climb Mt. Everest.” (in a metaphorical way, of course). 

When you look at the the spread of the the tent in the night,  those mountains and nature you see (and what the readers encounter) are not some random gibberish of the mountain drawings.  They are pretty accurate to what they must have seen. I know these are the details probably almost nobody would notice, but it makes me feel good to try to be as accurate as possible. It's my job as a picture book illustrator to take kids there with me, to the mountains, through the pictures. And as a mountain guide, a pictorial-sherpa, I think these small details are what make the world believable, regardless if anyone notices or not. 

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So many thanks to Anita and Yuko!

And now, here's my latest ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem. It's a haiku for childbirth. What a miraculous time (she says, as her eldest turns 30 this month!!). Thanks so much for reading.

all the water in

the world cannot stop you

welcome, little one

- Irene Latham