It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way

Found this while trying to diversify our bookshelf a bit and delighted at the many topics it touches upon and brought up for discussion with our kindergartner. But history aside, what she really loves is the story of a girl who loved drawing and who grew up to be an artist.

This is an exceptional picture book biography of the life of Gyo Fujikawa. Gyo’s belief in and fight for racial diversity within the pages of children’s picture books paved the way for other authors, illustrators, teachers, and publishers. Morstad and Maclear have so beautifully captured her story and I can not recommend this book enough!

This is a wonderful book about the marvelous artist and writer Gyo Fujikawa. I read her books to my children when they were little and now to my granddaughters. I knew nothing of her life story until reading this book and was very moved by it. She was a very progressive woman who paved the way for depiction of multiracial children in her books by insisting to her publisher that she wouldn't change her illustrations.

I've always loved Julie Morstad's illustrations. Her work always reminded me of Gyo Fujikawa, a childhood favorite. A couple months ago, I thought to myself, "Maybe Julie was influenced by Gyo." So when I saw this illustrated biography about Gyo that was illustrated by Julie, I got goosebumps. I immediately pre-ordered this book and was excited when it arrived today! Beautiful words by Kyo Maclear and lovely illustrations by Julie Morstad. Thank you for bringing the story of my beloved childhood author and illustrator to life. Fascinating and inspiring.

My students (4th grade) really enjoyed learning about Gyo. It allowed for great discussion about racism and segregation. We also really loved the drawings

IT BEGAN WITH A PAGE is the fascinating, inspirational story of Gyo Fujikawa, a trailblazer in children’s literature. During a time when segregation was rampant, Gyo created picture books that featured a diverse group of babies together for the first time. Her books were wildly popular and profitable breaking the color barrier in publishing and paving the way for more multicultural stories.Stunning illustrations pay tribute to Gyo’s accomplishments and beautifully outline her life. Difficult moments are touched upon such as the years Gyo’s family spent in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, making this a better choice for elementary age children and up.NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions of the book are my own.

Really loved this one. A little long but a thoughtful and nuanced biography of an historical figure I wasn't familiar with. Lots of great backmatter including quotes, a timeline, and more. Gorgeous illustrations and great use of color to highlight the ebb and flow of the story.