Gyo Fujikawa

Infobox Writer
name = Gyo Fujikawa


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birthdate = November 3, 1908
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deathdate = November 26, 1998
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occupation = artist, illustrator, writer
nationality = American
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genre = Children's literature
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movement = "Babies" (1963) as author illustrator.
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Gyo Fujikawa (1908–1998) was an American illustrator and children's book author. A prolific creator of more than 50 books for children, her work is regularly in reprint and has been translated into 17 languages and published in 22 countries. Her most popular books, "Babies" and "Baby Animals", have sold over 1.7 million copies in the U.S. [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA186995.html Publishers Weekly] URL accessed 23 April 2007. ] Fujikawa is recognized for being the earliest mainstream illustrator of picture books to include children of many races in her work, before it was politically correct to do so. [ [http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/versed/versedbackissues/september2005a/fujikawa.htm "Gyo Fujikawa, a Children's Illustrator Forging the Way", Dr. Andrea Wyman.] URL accessed 23 April 2007. ] [ [http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/youngreaders/grosset.html Penguin Group Diversity.] URL accessed 23 April 2007. ] [ [http://www.askart.com/AskART/F/gyo_fujikawa/gyo_fujikawa.aspx Ask Art:Gyo Fujikawa.] URL accessed 23 April 2007. ]

Biography

parents, Hikozo and Yu Fujikawa. The masculine name, Gyo "(pronounced "ghee-o")", is after a Chinese emperor her father admired.

Gyo Fujikawa received a scholarship to attended Chouinard Art Institute and was on the faculty of from 1933-39. ["Gyo Fujikawa." St. James Guide to Children's Writers, 5th ed. St. James Press, 1999.] [ [http://muse.calarts.edu/alumni/chouinard/years.html CalArts Alumni.] URL accessed 23 April 2007. ] She worked for Walt Disney in California before moving to New York in 1941. From 1943-51 she worked for pharmaceutical advertising agency William Douglas McAdams.

In 1951 Fujikawa became a full-time freelancer and about five years later was approached by juvenile editor Debra Dorfman at Grosset & Dunlap to illustrate Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses". This was her first published children's book in 1957."Babies", the first book both written and illustrated by Fujikawa in 1963, was also one of the earliest children's books to use multi-racial characters, a consistent feature across her body of work.

Fujikawa's books have been reprinted for mass-market and published worldwide. Her most popular books, "Babies", "Baby Animals", "A to Z Picture Book" and "Oh!, What A Busy Day!", unfailingly represent a happy, detailed version of childhood. Her joyous illustrations remain sweet and nostalgic, without ever becoming overly saccharine. Her paintings of children are recognizable for round happy faces, rosy cheeks and simple dot eyes. Discussing her respect for her audience, she said:

"In illustrating for children, what I relish most is trying to satisfy the constant question in the back of my mind--will this picture capture a child's imagination? What can I do to enhance it further? Does it help to tell a story? I am far from being successful (whatever that means), but I am ever so grateful to small readers who find 'something' in any book of mine."

Other Work

Fujikawa's notable commercial clients included Beech-Nut baby food and Eskimo Pie, creating the round-faced child icon for the ice cream treat. She also created several (2-6) stamps for the United States Post Office, including the 1997 32¢ "yellow rose" stamp. Fujikawa was a life member of the Society of Illustrators.

Bibliography

Written and Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa

* "Babies", 1963
* "Baby Animals", 1963
*"A to Z Picture Book", 1974
*"Let's Eat", 1975
*"Let's Play", 1975
*"Puppies, Pussycats, and Other Friends", 1975
*"Sleepy Time", 1975
*"Oh, What a Busy Day!", 1976
*"Babies of the Wild", 1977
*"Betty Bear's Birthday", 1977
*"Can You Count? New York", 1977
*"Our Best Friends", 1977
*"Millie's Secret", 1978
*"Let's Grow A Garden", 1978
*"My Favorite Thing", 1978
*"Surprise! Surprise!", 1978
*"Come Follow Me to the Secret World of Elves and Fairies and Gnomes and Trolls", 1979
*"Jenny Learns A Lesson", 1980
*"Welcome Is a Wonderful Word", 1980
*"Come Out and Play", 1981
*"Dreamland", 1981
*"Fairyland", 1981
*"Faraway Friends", 1981
*"The Flyaway Kite", 1981
*"Good Morning!", 1981
*"Here I Am", 1981
*"Jenny and Jupie", 1981
*"The Magic Show", 1981
*"Make-Believe", 1981
*"My Animal Friends", 1981
*"One, Two, Three, A Counting Book", 1981
*"Shags Has a Dream", 1981
*"Mother Goose", 1981
*"A Tiny Word Book", 1981
*"Year In, Year Out", 1981
*"Jenny and Jupie to the Rescue", 1982
*"Fraidy Cat", 1982
*"Me Too! New York", 1982
*"Sam's All-Wrong Day", 1982
*"Shags Finds a Kitten", 1983
*"That's Not Fair", 1983
*"Are You My Friend Today?", 1988
*"Sunny Books: Four Favorite Tales", 1989
*"Ten Little Babies", 1989
*"See What I Can Be!", 1990
*"Good Night, Sleep Tight, Shh", 1990

Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa

*"A Child's Garden of Verses", 1957, by Robert Louis Stevenson
*"The Night Before Christmas", 1961, by Clement C. Moore
*"Mother Goose", 1968
*"A Child's Book of Poems", 1969
*"Fairy Tales and Fables", 1970
*"Poems for Children", 1980
*"Baby Mother Goose", 1989
*"Poems for Small Friends", 1989

References