by Samantha White
Northwest Asia Weekly
Korey Watari (Image credit: Deborah Coleman)
As a young girl in the 1980s, Korey Watari couldn’t find books with characters like her.
When she becomes a mother, she thinks the literary world will get better. It has — just not much. Watari still struggles to find children’s books that highlight the Asian-American experience.
To fill that void, she decided to write her own children’s book with protagonists her two daughters (now 4 and 9) might relate to. She had the idea for the story a few years ago, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit, and the ensuing rise of anti-AAPI racism, that Du really sat down to write it.
“It was a signal to me that the book had to be written,” Watari said.
Mike Wu (Credit: Deborah Coleman)
The book in question is I Can Glow (Two Lions, 2022), which she co-authored with husband Mike Wu. Written by Watari, illustrated by Wu, and set to hit theaters May 1, the story follows the life of a young Japanese-American girl named Keiko from childhood to adulthood.
Keiko is kind and has big dreams of changing the world. But sometimes she feels invisible and people misjudge her. As the story progresses, Keiko realizes that she is loved too. So she was persistent, unwavering, and her confidence grew as she shared more of herself and helped lift others up.
Stories for all kids
“Shine” is a story about finding a place to belong — something Watari thinks young Asian-American kids need to hear.
“We have a place[in this country],” she said, adding that Keiko’s story was so personal to her because it highlighted how she felt as a child — like feeling invisible Asian because of growing up in the suburbs There are very few Americans — even adults now.
The Bay Area couple wanted a better world — not just for their kids, but for all kids — and with so much negativity associated with the pandemic, Wu said, publishing a book like Shine The timing of the book is just right. He added that in addition to children finally seeing themselves on the page, books like theirs highlight new voices and expose children from different backgrounds to different faces and lifestyles, which helps Build empathy for others.
“It’s for all the kids,” he said.
family affairs
While this isn’t the first time Watari and Wu have collaborated (they have collaborated on clothing lines in the past), it’s the first time they’ve written a book.
Shine is Watari’s first picture book, and Wu is the author and illustrator of the Ellie the Elephant series.
“I’m lucky because I have an in-house teacher,” said Watari, who has a background in animation and fashion and has worked at companies like Disney and Gap.
In response, Kris Wu, also a Pixar artist who has worked on several of the studio’s films, including the latest “Go Red,” said with a smile, “I don’t know who the teacher is.”
He added that it was fun to work with his wife because they kept talking about the book — even in everyday tasks like making dinner at home — and described it as a nice back-and-forth. Since the pandemic has forced them to go home, it is difficult to separate their work and personal lives.
But Wu says one of the benefits of working with your spouse is being able to discuss your work without judgment.
“We will inspire each other,” he said.
The original inspiration for the book, Watari and Wu’s daughters, also love it, both girls identify as Keiko. Additionally, for scenes of Jingzi protesting with relatives, Du and Wu’s eldest son made posters held up by the fictional family — a contribution she described as “embarrassing,” according to Wu.
But for Watari, making Shine a family affair—from involving Wu to their daughters—was her favorite part of writing the book.
“That was really special,” she said.
Samantha is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
