What a lovely book! The illustrations by Julie Morstad compliment the text by Kyo Maclear perfectly, paying tribute to Gyo Fujikawa's soft, colorful style. The story is told simply, with poetic language, and covers the events of Fujikawa's life in a way that highlights her drive and spirit. Her first book, Babies, was one of the first books to show children of different races playing together, and became a bestseller, despite her publisher's worries that people wouldn't accept it. An inspiring and beautiful book.

#ItBeganWithAPage #NetGalley

This is a look at the life story of artist Gyo Fujikawa. Later in life she became known as a children’s book writer/illustrator, but before that, she held many positions in art life, including at Disney. This story is detailed about her early life, and how she got to being a children’s book illustrator. But it basically stops there. There are very few references made to her actual books except on. I love the idea, the illustrations are great, but I think the execution could have been better.

Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad are together again to bring us the beautiful non-fiction picture book It Began with a Page, a story about authorstrator Gyo Fujikawa, a Japanese-American writer and illustrator who broke barriers in the publishing world standing up for equal pay and her belief that all children, regardless of gender or race, should see themselves reflected in picture books.

Maclear and Morstad take us through Gyo Fujikawa’s life starting as a small child and with a blank page. Gyo Fujikawa drew everyday, starting with a blank white page. She imagined a world filled with colour and whimsy. She lived through many hardships, being almost invisible in school, the Japanese internment during World War II and being a single woman in the male dominated publishing industry but through it all Gyo never lost her love of art and her willingness to fill blank white spaces with colour and joy. She was an original PANK (professional aunt, no kids) and doted on her niece and nephews, always making time for them at her studio.

Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad treat the telling of Gyo Fujikawa’s story with such great care and admiration. You can tell from the illustrations and the words that both author and illustrator feel a strong connection to this incredible artist who paved the way for all children to see themselves reflected in the stories they were read and read themselves. Tundra designer John Martz along with illustrator Julie Morstad contrast the hardships faced by Fujikawa by using black and white illustrations with the happy times, all depicted in beautiful colour. The reader can get a visceral sense of how affecting the trials were and how buoyant and vibrant the triumphs.

Babies was the first picture book to feature white children alongside children of colour and little girls and little boys doing things not typically featured in children’s literature of the time. She was a trailblazer and it’s so important to provide these stories of courageous trailblazers to show our young readers how far we have come and how far we still have yet to go. We can share these stories to encourage the next generation of trailblazers to make the world a safer more inclusive place for everybody. We need more diverse Canadian children’s literature. We need stories written by and about the experiences of underrepresented voices. The industry is beginning to change but that change is not happening fast enough. It is so important we get these stories into the hands of children who desperately need them

I love biographies, especially when they are about talented creative activists that make positive changes in our world. Japanese American Gyo Fujikawa is one of those women.

As a little girl she felt comfort and 'rightness' within her to draw and create. When in high school Gyo's teachers recognize her talent and encourage her to pursue her beautiful art. She attends college in 1926 when it isn't popular for women to do so and she studies abroad in Japan to deepen her artistic skills.

Sadly back in the US her family is sent to an internment camp as World War II is blazing, and because of Gyo's working location, she is spared that terrible atrocity. However it affects her heart deeply and she loses her will to draw and create.

She does drawings for magazines and store window displays and then is asked to illustrate picture books. She sees her chance to fight injustice through her first book "Babies". She designs babies of all colours and ethnicities... little black babies, Asian babies, all kinds of babies... an international parade of sweet adorable babies. This has never been done before and at first it is rejected by her publisher. Finally the book is published in 1963. It is revolutionary at the time and opens up the way for those in the book world to become more imaginative and inclusive leaving no one invisible. It proves to be very popular and goes on to sell almost two million copies.

"From the beloved team of Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad comes a story that poignantly portrays the life of Gyo Fujikawa, a groundbreaking hero in the fight for racial diversity in picture books."

The author includes a timeline with photos and quotes, notes from the creators, and a selected biography and sources list for those who want to learn more. The book contains gorgeous illustrations and is an inspiring story about a brave and strong woman who left her artistic mark on the world and changes it for the good, forever. I love it.

It Began With A Page is a fascinating true story about Gyo Fujikawas life. A Japanese American born in 1908 in California, her life was filled with hardship, struggles and tribulations. Being a Japanese woman, especially during WWII she faces constant opposing forces. She showed incredible strength, determination, perseverance and courage while paving the way for future strong girls and women.

From working for Disney to children’s books Babies and Baby animals she did not let people hold her back.

Gorgeous illustrations and an amazing story about a beautiful and strong woman!

That cover isn't exactly enticing, and I might not have requested this book had it not been for the subject matter, and the author and illustrator involved.

The illustrations on the inside are much more engaging, and even downright beautiful in spots. I sometimes have a hard time with picture-book biographies of artists, especially when they seem to be used as a vehicle to showcase the work of yet another artist. But in this case, Julie Morstad's illustrations really work. She depicts Gyo and her family during her childhood, highlighting the girl's love of drawing and art. (It doesn't hurt that Morstad's style isn't wildly different from Fujikawa's, especially when she's drawing children and babies.)

Gyo was spared being sent to an internment camp during World War Two because of location (having been sent to New York City by the Walt Disney Company for work). Would we have had her lovely collection of work had she been in California in 1942? It's hard to say. But the experience did shape her, as her family ended up in the camps, and of course she experienced racism because of the way she looked (she was actually born in California, which makes the idea of sending her to a camp as a foreign enemy all the more ridiculous).

I didn't realize that her book Babies was one of the first to depict a diverse selection of children. The publisher balked at first because of this! But it went on to become a bestseller, proving that there's room for everyone in children's publishing.

There's a nice biographical section at the back with a timeline of her life and a few photographs. The only thing this book is really missing are some samples of Fujikawa's art (although, there may be copyright issues involved with that, so I won't hold that against the book).

Overall, this is a strong picture-book biography about a woman whose art many people may have encountered in their childhood. If you're a fan of Fujikawa's work (or even if you're not), you might find this to be an interesting read.