Celebrate Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian Heritage Month, Children’s Book Week, and Kodomo no Hi (Japanese Children’s Day) with the Japanese American National Museum’s second annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Democracy Center, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
This year’s festival highlights heroes of all ages who have strengthened the community and made it special in big and small ways. Explore the breadth and diversity of children’s literature across the Nikkei community with author and illustrator storytimes, signings, and meet-and-greets, arts and crafts for all ages, and a special pop-up bookstore.
Featured guests include Stan and Julie Sakai (“Chibi Usagi”), Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura (“Love in the Library”), Mia Wenjen (“Barbed Wire Between Us”), Jolene Gutiérrez, Chris Sasaki, and John Tonai (“Unbreakable”), Korey Watari and Mike Wu (“Kimi the Ballerina”), and Derek Mio (“The Terror” actor and reader of “Baseball Saved Us”). All featured books will be available in the JANM Store.
Admission is $10 general, free for youth (under 18) and JANM members.
Info/tickets: www.janm.org/events/2026-05-09/2026-nikkei-childrens-book-festival
Sponsor: Port of Long Beach. Media sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Shopping at the JANM Store; activities by Discover Nikkei, the Democracy Center, and special guest organizations
9:30 to 10 a.m.: JANM welcome and a special reading of “Baseball Saved Us” by Derek Mio
10:15 to 11:15 a.m.: Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Yas Imamura, and Mia Wenjen, “Love in the Library” and “Barbed Wire Between Us”
11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.: Jolene Gutiérrez, Chris Sasaki, and John Tonai, ”Unbreakable”
1 to 1:30 p.m.: Korey Watari and Mike Wu, “Kimi the Ballerina”
1:45 to 2:30 p.m.: Stan Sakai and Julie Sakai, “Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis”
Maggie Tokuda-Hall is the author of numerous award-winning children’s and young adult books including “Love in the Library,” “The Mermaid and the Witch and The Sea” duology, and “The Worst Ronin.” She has been called “one of the most unflinching voices in contemporary literature,” and is a founding member and national leader of Authors Against Book Bans.
Yas Imamura is a children’s book illustrator who is best known for “Love in the Library” and “Can You Imagine?,” books that have received critical acclaim and awards, along with other titles that explore resilience, tenderness, and everyday magic. Her warm, expressive artwork brings a sense of tenderness and wonder to the page and resonates across cultures and generations.
Mia Wenjen is the author of “Barbed Wire Between Us,” a powerful reverso poem and a moving meditation on justice, memory, and the echoes of history that still shape our present. She blogs on parenting, children’s books, and education at PragmaticMom.com and is the co-creator of Read Your World, a nonprofit celebrating diversity in children’s books.
Jolene Gutiérrez and the late Minoru “Min” Tonai co-authored “Unbreakable,” a moving picture book based on Tonai’s harrowing real-life camp experiences. Gutiérrez is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian at the Denver Academy since 1995. She hopes her books will help young readers feel seen and inspire others to learn and grow in compassion. She is an active member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and winner of the 2025 Crystal Kite Award for the Southwest Region.
Chris Sasaki is an Emmy and Annie Award–winning animation artist with a rich career spanning high-profile studios and collaborations, and a celebrated figure in the literary world. Known for their captivating picture books, they are the illustrator of “Unbreakable.” Their achievements in the literary arena have earned them the prestigious Dilys Evans Founders Award from the Society of Illustrators.
John Tonai is the son of Minoru “Min” and Mary (née Endo) Tonai and a digitization specialist at JANM. Minoru was imprisoned at the Amache concentration camp in Colorado, and Mary at the Poston concentration camp in Arizona. Unlike many Japanese American families, John Tonai and his sisters grew up hearing about how the incarceration affected their families. This early exposure has led to a life of documenting, advocating for, and educating people about the camps.
Korey Watari is a Sansei born and raised in Los Angeles and is the author of “Kimi the Ballerina.” She played basketball for a Japanese American league, graduated from UC Riverside, and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. She has worked in the animation and fashion industries for companies such as Disney and The Gap.
Mike Wu is the illustrator of “Kimi the Ballerina.” He has worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, where he animated on the Oscar-winning “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3,” “Coco,” and “Soul,” among other films. His first picture book, “Ellie,” was selected as one of NPR’s best books of 2015, and was followed by “Ellie in Concert” and “Ellie Makes a Friend.” The latter book is inspired by his Chinese roots and focuses on the importance of accepting differences in others.
Julie Sakai is an illustrator, artist, designer, and creator. While raising a family, she taught art in private schools, community classes, and at the Monart School of Art in Temecula. Her chibi-style work has been sold in museum gift shops, boutiques, and craft fairs throughout the U.S. She and her husband, Stan Sakai, collaborated on their book, “Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis.”
Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, grew up in Hawaii, and currently lives in California. His creation, Usagi Yojimbo, first appeared in 1984, and has since appeared on television, as toys, on clothing, in comics, and in a series of trade paperback collections. He and his wife, Julie Sakai, collaborated on their book, “Chibi Usagi: Attack of the Heebie Chibis.”
Derek Mio is an actor who will be giving a special reading of Ken Mochizuki’s “Baseball Saved Us.” He portrayed Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura in “Medal of Honor,” the Netflix anthology series produced by Robert Zemeckis, and starred in the AMC series “The Terror: Infamy,” produced by Ridley Scott. He has performed stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, The Hollywood Improv, and other venues.