The Japanese Canadian Book of ABCs

Illustrated by Kellen Hatanaka and Mia Ohki

Published by the Greater Toronto Chapter, National Association of Japanese Canadians and supported by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, this new ABC book is great for children 3+, and for anyone interested in Japanese Canadian history, people and stories. 

Historical notes at the end of the book gives readers a glimpse into the key highlights of the Japanese Canadian communities in Canada.

Kellen Hatanaka is a multidisciplinary artist whose vibrant figurative work explores sport, design, history, and Japanese Canadian identity. His practice examines race, tradition, and the sporting body, and his work has been exhibited nationally and featured in Victory Journal, ArtMaze Magazine, and Graphite Journal. He and collaborator Jon-Erik Lappano received the Governor General’s Award for Tokyo Digs a Garden (2016). He is based in Stratford, Ontario.

Mia Ohki of Métis-Nikkei heritage, originally from St. Albert, Alberta, now based in Ottawa. Her work explores mixed identity and culture through playful symbolism, personified nature, and personal storytelling. Through Mia Ohki Illustrations, founded in 2016, she has created public murals, including Protect Our Trees on Fujiya in Vancouver, and exhibited work at the Art Gallery of St. Albert.