chapter book

She’s baaaaack! Jasmine Toguchi is back in a new set of chapter books and this time she and her family are going on vacation to Japan! Book 5 will be published on October 18, 2022. Jasmine Toguchi Brave Explorer by Debbi Michiko Florence Illustrations by Elizabet Vuković Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan Toothbrush? Check. Her special journal?… Read more »

I’m thrilled to share the cover of Jasmine Toguchi Brave Explorer, book 5 in the Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series. Many thanks to Team Toguchi at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, editor Grace Kendall, illustrator Elizabet Vukovic, designer Angela Jun, and always to my agent Tricia Lawrence! Look for this book on September… Read more »

Thrilled that Jasmine Toguchi is on this list of amazing Asian American books!

Buttons the Kitten is part of the My Furry Foster Family chapter book series (Picture Window Books/2019). I was thrilled to learn of this young reader’s review of the book. In part, Cooper says: “I think kids will like this because it is about pets. It is about saving animals and has a girl who… Read more »

It’s been a busy few weeks and I hope to have my quarterly newsletter out on time next month. In the meantime here are a few things I’ve been up to. As part of the #KidsNeedMentors program, I partnered with teacher Jane Chalifoux and her third grade students at Mills Pond Elementary. After a year… Read more »

Wowee zowee! I’m so excited to learn that Jasmine Toguchi Drummer Girl won the Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award for Transitional Fiction! A big thank you to Blue Crab committee and the Maryland Librarian Association for this wonderful honor!

In January, I had the fabulous experience of spending a week visiting the Singapore American School where Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen won the student-voted Big Splash Award! There, I spoke to 1,800 K-5th graders about Jasmine Toguchi, and I ran writing workshops on character development for 2nd-4th graders. I had a blast! The kindergarteners, with the help… Read more »

I’m super excited to share the news that I have a new chapter book series coming out this fall, 2019! My Furry Foster Family (Picture Window Books/Capstone) is about an 8-year-old Japanese American girl named Kaita Takano who fosters pets with her family. There are four books in the series for 1st – 2nd graders…. Read more »

What a true honor and thrill to learn that Jasmine Toguchi Drummer Girl is a Cybils Award finalist in the Early Chapter Book category! Big thanks to the judges!

Looking for fun, kid-friendly, readerly treats to share for Halloween? Check out Trick or Treaters for a bagful of spooky and not-so-spooky fun! (art by Kevin Atteberry) Look for Jasmine Toguchi and a story to snatch, along with a daruma fun craft to download and share! Click on illustration below. Art by the fabulous Elizabeth… Read more »