AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR

Praise for SHELL SONG

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Eric K. Yamamoto

Fred T. Korematsu Professor of Law and Social Justice (emeritus), University of Hawai`i 

“Sometimes a child's story touches the struggles and joys of the young. Other times it also profoundly illuminates something larger. Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson's magnificent book SHELL SONG tells of children listening to the echoes of grandfather’ s sea shells from Hawai`i. It deftly locates grandfather's long-ago discovery of those shells in a desolate WWII ‘US government built prison camp for innocent Japanese Americans.’ And it shines a gentle yet bright light on what happened when ‘There was no justice. Not for my grandfather. Not for any Japanese Americans.’ A poignant, loving story for children, for us all.”

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Susan H. Kamei

Author of When Can We Go Back to America? 

“Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson’s SHELL SONG sheds a much-needed light on the unjust incarceration of first-generation persons of Japanese ancestry in Hawai`i during World War II. Her tender prose and beautiful art are fitting tributes to the resilience of the Japanese American incarcerees and serve to invite readers to join in a collective healing from this historic travesty of justice.”​

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Brian Niiya

Densho

“Building on family lore and extensive historical research, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson has crafted a moving and beautifully illustrated story based on the World War II incarceration of her Japanese American grandfather in Hawai`i along with the echoes of that story that she learned about in childhood and that continue to the present day. Both a story of historical memory and family through generations and a cautionary tale, SHELL SONG will be enjoyed by children and by their parents and grandparents alike.”

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Teresa Robeson

Award winning children's book author 

“With spare, lyrical prose, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson recounts the ordeal her grandfather and his family went through during the unjust and brutal treatment of Americans of Japanese heritage during the Second World War. This poignant story simultaneously spotlights both pain and the joys of an ordinary family forced to endure extraordinary hardships without being didactic or melodramatic. The writing sings like the songs of the shells while the pastel-colored illustrations soften the harsh reality of the situation. It is a perfect book to ease kids—and adults—into learning more about this tragic episode of American history.”

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Duncan Ryuken Williams

Curator of the Ireichō exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum

"Seashells carry a family’s story of hope in the midst and aftermath of injustice, resounding for all of us in Fujimoto-Johnson's moving illustrations."