Canada Reads winner Mark Sakamoto's family inspires picture book Shizue's Path
Talia Kliot | CBC Books | Posted: July 10, 2023 2:47 PM | Last Updated: July 10, 2023
The moving picture book will be available on Sept. 5, 2023
In 2018, Mark Sakamoto won Canada Reads for Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents — a memoir that follows the stories of his grandparents. Now, he's releasing yet another work with family at the centre.
Shizue's Path is a picture book that was inspired by Sakamoto's great aunt, Shizue. It's told as a conversation between a grandmother and her granddaughter and follows what it was like for a young Japanese Canadian girl to grow up in Canada during and after the Second World War.
As the war gets worse, Shizue is forced to leave her elementary school and is sent to an internment camp with her family, missing out on her education and frustrated with the way she is treated. Shizue hopes that someone will speak out but is disappointed by her neighbours' complicity.
When the war ends, however, the situation becomes even more difficult. Shizue, along with other Japanese-Canadians, face deportation. But this time, the surrounding communities come together to protest the racist bill, showing her the power people can have when they help one another.
This is a journey of youthful courage and tenacity. One young girl can move mountains. I know. I've seen it. - Mark Sakamoto
"When I find myself in periods of turmoil, I consult my ancestors. I look to my familial past. There, I found my aunt Shizue. It felt like she was waiting for me," said Sakamoto in an email to CBC Books.
"During the Second World War, Shizue was banned from school for years. Yet, she went on to become the most educated individual in our family. Her sharp mind counselled countless patients," he said.
"This is a journey of youthful courage and tenacity. One young girl can move mountains. I know. I've seen it."
Shizue's Path is illustrated by Rachel Wada, who grew up in Japan and Hong Kong and is currently living in Vancouver. Her first children's book project, The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden, won the Freeman Book Award for Children's Literature.
Shizue's Path will be available on Sept. 5, 2023.