In Elsa Takaoka’s picture book Yumi’s Extraordinary Collection, the title character, a Japanese American girl around eight-years-old, is looking for the perfect collection.

Like her grandmother, Yumi is a story-teller, but unlike her grandmother Sayuri, Yumi tells stories through her art. To connect with her sick grandmother Yumi begins drawing her grandmother’s stories. Yumi reaches out to extended family including aunts, parents, grandparents, and siblings to collect stories about her grandmother. Yumi then illustrates these memories. Continue reading →