Last year I went a zoo in Tokyo to sketch some little mice, and met a Japanese squirrel along. He had a beautiful orange summer fur on legs and I was given to awake about the beauty of Japanese squirrel. Since then, for me, Japanese squirrel became one of the most ‘picturesque’ creature.

So, I have been working for the next picture book from last summer.  The text and rough skethces have been almost done, and I have started to work for main drawings.

Every contexts relating to the animals makes me sometimes very moved…  Just a simple story makes me in tears, for example about a dog named ‘Bamse’ , attended norwegian navy and behaved so bravely when his battleship was under attack by Nazis Germans, gave a great courage to all of the soldiers, who were fighting together.

By the way, here is my favorite phrase from a poem by Emily Dickinson:

If I can ・・・

・・・　help one fainting Robin

Unto his nest again

I shall not live in vain.

(F982)