Picture book [Me chan (Means Miss Me)]
Written and illustrated by – Uyo Takayama
Thank you for your interest in the picture book “Me chan”. I would like to introduce the setting and the background of the book.
Inspired by
“Me chan”, a shy only child, moves from her large family to a new home with her single mother. When she move to a new house, and separated from her only best friend. Worried about “Me chan” ‘s loneliness, Mum decides to take “Me chan” on a date with her boyfriend. As them overcome the hiccups during the date. “Me chan” realizes her mom’s boyfriend’s kindness inside.
This is a testament to the introversion of young children and the opportunities for their development, and an affirmation of the diversity of the modern family. However, we also want to make parents more aware of the phenomenon of abuse after remarriage, and why it happens. It is also a reminder for parents to be aware of this.
Who would you recommend it to?
I would recommend this book not only to children but to adults as well.
I hope you will read it to your children.
Me chan looks like a cat, but it is not recommended for cat lovers in particular. (Real cats always look more serious, don’t they?) I wanted to make people who are working hard every day feel a little relieved, and I wanted a character that was easy to relate to.
I am delighted to announce that
I am very happy to announce that our picture book [Me chan (Means Miss Me)] Text & Illustrations Uyo Takayama has been shortlisted for the International Children’s Book Festival [NAMI Competition 2021].
Some of the picture books will be shown at the 2021 Festival and in the catalogue. I hope you will have a look.
Then, dPICTUS [The Unpublished Picturebook Showcase 3] selected the English version of the picturebook [Me chan (Means Miss Me)]. Thank you very much. I wish Me chan all the best on her journey.
*I have printed a small number of copies at my own expense. It’s not commercial publication. I am looking for a publisher. （I’m planning to exhibit at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March 2022.)
November 2022 I received an award of excellence in the picture book category (unpublished) of the HiiI Illustration 2021 Competition. Thank you very much! I entered the competition because I had a respected Children’s book judge. This announcement gave me some courage. I would like to continue to draw with patience and enjoy myself, because this is a question and answer with myself, not to win a prize. I look forward to your continued support.
Reviews
Adults said: “It may not be a book that makes you cry, but I read it while crying, That’s warm”, “It gave me courage”, “It made me feel that I am OK”, “It made me feel kind”, “I bought this book when I was depressed, and it made me feel better, like ‘OK, tomorrow too!”, “I can’t wait to read the rest of the book”, “It reminded me of my best friend when I was a kid and it gave me warm fuzzies”, “I can’t believe such a lovely book exists!”, “I open the facing page and hang it in my room.”
One person read the book to her three-year-old daughter and emailed me with details of her reaction. She said, “My daughter just got out of nappies and timely, she started playing with the car in the insert, and she looked at that Me chan and her mother were in this car! We laughed, we were surprised, we were relieved,” etc. Thank you so much! It made me very, very happy!
Afterwards, people who saw the revised version said. “It’s a good story, lovely and I wonder if it’s Yokohama.”, “Lovely humour, very deep. “, ‘I could feel Mechan’s heart opening up. It’s a warm and touching book with bright colours. “, “The warmth of Mechan’s family is made more friendly by the touch of the brush…”, I have received many messages from customers. Thank you so much!
Here’s what one of our readers had to say after reading the book to her 4 year old daughter “Mummy, I love Mechan! She is so cute! “ She was so happy. She said, “Oh, Mechan did her best in the scene with *******. I’m so scared 😜, so I’m going to hurry up and go to ******* 😂 . ******* is so kind! ” (The part of the picture book where you can find out what it is about is at *******.) I’m very, very happy and I’m in tears. Thank you so much.
Availability
The book is now available at the following bookstores. (If you have already purchased a copy of the first printing, we will replace it with the new edition free of charge, so please contact us if you haven’t received it yet.)
・Readin’ Writin’ Bookstore *(Japanese version)(English version)
・rakeru no monogatari(Rachel’s Story) at Shibuya 00 Bookshop at Hikarie Shibuya 8F *(Japanese version)
・Overseas: Alf and Lou Bookstore (English version) *The Alf and Lou Bookstore‘s web shop is currently temporarily suspended.
*If you are outside Japan, please contact us directly via Contact page.
Please have a look.
I look forward to working with you.