Social Media Manager Cat Galeano chats with Anita Yasuda about her book Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu.

Watch the conversation or read the full transcript below. (You can see closed captions by hovering over the bottom of the video and choosing the “CC” icon.)

Full Transcript:

Cat Galeano:
So a big hello to our Highlights Foundation family. We’re so happy to have you here with us today. For those that may not know me, I’m Cat Galeano. My pronouns are she, her. I am the social media manager here at the Highlights Foundation, joining you from Westchester, New York on the traditional lands of the Seewanoy people.

And apart from all the wonderful things I get to do at the Highlights Foundation, one of my greatest joys is celebrating the book birthdays of our community members, faculty, and friends. Because all of your wins are our wins.

So thank you so much for being with me today. And today, of course, we have the honor of celebrating Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains, the new nonfiction picture book written by our friend and faculty member, Anita Yasuda, and illustrated by Yuku Shimizu.

We are so excited to have all of you here with us today. And before we dive into all the fun questions, I just want to remind our viewers that joining in in any Highlights Foundation spaces to do so with no hate, no harm, and no harassment of any kind. Now, let’s get started.

Anita Yasuda:
Hi, everybody, I’m so happy to be here and to celebrate this beautiful book. And beautiful illustrations by Yuku Shimizu. And if anybody’s in New York on Sunday, that’s when we’re doing our official in-person launch. So please come, we’d love to see you guys in person. Yeah, it’s an exciting day because it’ll be the first time that we’ve met in person. So that’s really great.

Cat Galeano:
Oh, I love hearing stories like that because for most people who aren’t fully aware, I mean, I think there’s a lot of kidlit friends here, but for those that are not in the writing space, just want to know that it’s not often that the writer and illustrator meet. So when they do, it kind of happens in like the point when all the book is already out in the world. So this is very exciting.

Anita Yasuda:
Yeah, that’s right, exactly. Don’t really have a lot of communication at all. And that’s just fine. but I’m really excited for Sunday. Well, I’m excited that I’m here now, but I’m gonna be even more excited on Sunday too.

Cat Galeano:
Jump into my first question. What are you feeling now that the book is out in the world?

Anita Yasuda:
I feel great. I’m sure everyone’s really tired of seeing me on Instagram, but yes, I’m super excited. It’s been a four year long journey to see this book come into print, and there’s a huge team behind it, so I’m so grateful to everything to Clarion and Harper Kids and my agent and, you know, my whole, my writing partners who are here. I can see there’s Stephanie–Hi, Stephanie!–, and yeah, it’s been a long journey and lots and lots of rewrites too, right? Before you get that manuscript in shape to even send to an agent to even get it into, you know, to be sent out then to editors. So I hope everyone can take that something away from it. It didn’t just happen overnight. It’s definitely years of work.

Cat Galeano:
So jumping off of that. I just want to comment this is the exact reason why I love doing these book birthday celebrations because people just sort of see the finished product on the shelf and we’re like yay! we’re gonna celebrate, but my whole reasoning behind celebrating is the fact that it takes a Gargantuan amount of effort time and rewrites and teams of people and critique from critique part from you to critique partners to you know getting to the agent to then the editor to all the process from life.

Anita Yasuda:
That’s right Yeah, exactly. It’s a big team. It’s not just one person I mean you’re seeing my face or you’re seeing you Yuku’s on Instagram and yes, we did a ton of work; I can’t even imagine all the work that she did for these illustrations. It’s incredible. But there is a huge team behind it. I recently spoke to students in a northern college in Canada and some of the questions are really funny Like why did it take you so long? Because I guess there’s, the assignment was to finish a picture book by by December right? They’re starting it this week so I thought okay, well Maybe you’re just all really quick But out here yeah, I just take a long time, but I did love that question They were really you know curious. Yeah, so something must be up with her. It took so long.

Cat Galeano:
Be like: I wish it took, I wish the whole process was like September to December !

Anita Yasuda:
Amazing, and they’re all gonna plan on selling their books.

Cat Galeano:
I’m like, that’s great! Good, you need more of those quick processes cuz I think so.

Anita Yasuda:
I love it. I love the enthusiasm .

Cat Galeano:
That’s exactly why I love hosting these celebrations is because that we want to hear about your, your process and how long it took. It’s like it takes such a big effort and a big team. And I’m like this, this, and this moment we share together… There is a moment to celebrate all of that. So I’m just so excited to chat with you. My second question is–which I must confess, I did not know who this mountaineer was–and now I feel even more enlightened to know who she is and that this book exists in the world because it’s so incredibly important to know her story. So why was it important for you to tell Junko Tabei’s story and for people to know who she was?

Anita Yasuda:
I thought that she was an incredible person, that she was more of a mountaineer and a mom and an author and a teacher. I mean, this is an incredible feat in 1975. And you have to think this is before mass tourism is hitting Everest. You have to make your way up. You are building those camps. You are not, like there’s not something in place and that the hurdles that they had to overcome, right?

From just people who just thought they shouldn’t climb. They should stay home. And she chose. And that’s my line from the book, right? She wanted to be a mother who climbed for her daughter. And that really resonated with me as a parent. And I really hope that it resonates with other caregivers, parents, and teachers, that that’s why I wanted to write this book. And I wanted the children to know more about her and that she didn’t just climb Everest since she went on. ..

So that was 75. And then by 92, she had climbed, she’s the first woman to climb all the highest peaks on each continent, which is pretty amazing. And I think she ended up leading or was involved with 44 all-women expeditions, which is incredible.

Cat Galeano:
And I love that you added those tidbits in the story because you could have easily focused on just sort of like her feat to Mount Everest, but I love that you expanded her life and truly did like an all-encompassing sort of preview of like all the biggest, including the…

Anita Yasuda:
Well, it’s honestly one of my favorite pages in this book Yuko drew, and it’s showing the women all working together, this scene, all working so hard on their gear and supporting each other. And I think that that’s just a huge takeaway from the book besides the environmental theme, right? That she went on to really raise awareness through the Himalayan Association of Japan and raise awareness to like protect these mountain environments, but also that, right? Teamwork, which is really what we talked about right in the beginning about how it just takes a huge team to put together a picture book. Well, imagine it takes even a bigger team to put together a Everest expedition and then go on to protect those environments. It’s so important.

Cat Galeano:
I think it’s also like, this book came out at such a timely moment because like you said, there’s so many articles coming out about Everest being so over-tourist, like over-tourism areas right now, with like there’s garbage and whatnot. So it was just such a beautiful kind of thing.

Anita Yasuda:
It’s an interesting tie-in, right? And I’m glad that it is getting attention because she is known more primarily as a humanitarian and that’s through all of her incredible efforts with young people and survivors of the triple disaster in Fukushima which was uh earthquake tsunami and nuclear meltdown in that area but she really worked with the survivors and she worked with children to inspire them through these other natural environments but I think they went on they go on a yearly hike still her foundation. Oh look at that which is really amazing right just to inspire them that there is a big world outside their front door.

Cat Galeano:
And I love her advocacy with children like that I mean that’s the whole point .

Anita Yasuda:
Huge right? And that was, her last hike was on Fuji with the group so I think that that says so much about her just such an incredible person it cannot help but feel inspired.

Cat Galeano:
I just love that this book exists in the world now especially for young people to know that this incredible figure did all these things because like me it didn’t ever cross my radar, this person never crossed my radar, and I’m a person that loves to read all sorts of things and try to educate myself but I’m like this, I just never knew. So I’m like this is important this is why we need to research and learn about other people doing other incredible things

Anita Yasuda:
Yeah and then feel inspired too. Maybe we’re not going to climb Everest, but that’s okay we’re just going to put one foot in front of the other and go forward and just be I don’t know, create a positive change somewhere

Cat Galeano:
Um, so my next question is: what was your process like to get this real life story to the page? Talk to us about the research, how the story kind of came to be. Like why you decided to do it; like just talk to us about that

Anita Yasuda:
Sure! Um, I knew about her from being in high school in Japan and she was always very generous with her time, meaning she gave lots of interviews; she’s in the news so she was always on my radar. And then I have a really good friend who just loves climbing mountains and she was planning an expedition to Everest base camp and I thought about Junko and I just thought there’s, there isn’t really a book that really goes into, into depth into the area that I wanted to really speak to right? That expand upon her life and I thought: okay I’m gonna start working on it.

So she started training for Everest and I guess I just started reaching out to her colleagues and friends; um people she worked with and I wanted to talk to members of the original team and I was able to connect with her best friend and team member and I was able to connect with a guide who had guided her here in Canada, in Banff, which was amazing and then I was really interested though in her work with the HAT Japan, which is the Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan. That was really interesting to me. All the campaigns they did within Japan, you know, carry and carry out, like whatever you bring into it, the wild, you’re gonna bring out with you, right? And it was just fascinating. I really loved that. And then she was also a really prolific author, so I read a few of her books. I don’t read that fast in Japanese. I read very, very slowly. So I would just say a few of her many books I read and really relied a lot on interviews as well. And then secondary resources would be newspaper articles.

Cat Galeano:
Yeah, thank you. I think the beauty of nonfiction is like the ability to do all of that research. And we’ll talk a little bit about your upcoming mini in the end, but just want I get that in there…

Anita Yasuda:
The research is so important right? And it’s fascinating. I really wanted to get to Nepal but this was during COVID so that did not happen but I have done the hike… Her first mountain hike was when she was 10 and I have done that hike and I did it again when I was back in Japan in February. That’s an easier one; I can do that one.

Cat Galeano:
Well if anything now you can take your book baby with you.

Anita Yasuda:
Yeah, that’s right, that’s what I’m hoping. Yeah, that’s a nice little day hike and a nice lunch afterwards that’s kind of where I’m at.

Cat Galeano:
So my next question is can you talk about your journey and how the Highlights Foundation has played a role?

nita Yasuda:
Yeah. I mean I have been writing for decades and I worked heavily in publishing so I’ve taken lots of different classes from the Highlights Foundation over the years and I have learned everything from writing a picture book because I was probably one of those people who had no clue how many words you know. Maybe I was that person who wrote you know I don’t know 5000 words but hey it’s a picture book it’s not right. So I definitely benefited. I remember a class with Sudipta that was like so long ago but I just, I just loved it. I don’t; I think just the opportunity to connect with other creative people and to hear from them really just such a wide variety of authors. That was just such a great experience and it continues to be a good experience because I’m continuing to do that and I have a Highlights retreat coming up which I’m super excited about and that’s the verse novel retreat and that’ll be next week.

Cat Galeano:
Oh my god, so soon we’ll see you on campus!

Anita Yasuda:
I’m super excited. So yeah I just think that no matter where you are in your career, no matter where you are as a author or an illustrator there’s something for you at Highlights: that’s my takeaway.

Cat Galeano:
Thank you for that. My last question for you is: what do you hope kids will take away from your book?

Anita Yasuda:
I really want them to know that they can achieve their dreams. That was dreams, sorry. I think I’m losing my voice. I want them to know that they can achieve their dreams and that they just need to start taking a step. It’s just one step and that’s really I think what she would tell them: that there is a huge world outside there just waiting for them and so many wonderful opportunities, right? I really hope that I hear from readers about how it inspired them to reach for those dreams and go up, up ever up.

Cat Galeano:
What I loved most about this book and I mentioned it a little bit earlier but was that yes. one step will get you know one step towards your dream will help get you there but also that your dream doesn’t end when you accomplish the one thing that you’ve been kind of see and that’s no,,,

Anita Yasuda:
Exactly. It really went keeps evolving.

Cat Galeano:
Yes, it keeps evolving and like you showed that with um with Junko; that it was like yeah, she accomplished this amazing feat of climbing Mt. Everest, but she also loved being a mom and then like developed that into um you know her charity work and her humanitarian work.

Anita Yasuda:
And like it, just going back to school–she went back to school as a mature woman and that’s when she did her masters and that was part of her thesis was doing the so, that’s what she wrote about actually was the garbage issue on Everest.

Cat Galeano:
Yes, and i love that because so, so much of us they’re like I want you know I have a dream and like I can–myself included, I’m like I want my book to be on the bookshelf one day but it’s like yeah but like, I would like to also have a career–so it’s like it’s just so important and i loved, loved that you mentioned that and that; that was such part of the story alongside her ginormous accomplishment of being the first woman to, to amount uh to climb up Everest so…

Anita Yasuda:
But she had a team right? And that’s really what this book shows you really, to uplift others around you.

Cat Galeano:
Yeah so I’m like that one step, that one belief that teamwork it just truly…

Anita Yasuda:
She’s an inspiring and I really hope that people do feel inspired because I do and I still do.

Cat Galeano:
And your book is so beautiful! I mean like the artwork is phenomenal so please like do yourself a favor and pick up the, the book for the artwork. It is gorgeous but the words were so lyrical it, just like the way it flowed i can’t thank you enough for, for letting me um get to read this beforehand. It was everything about it was just, it moved me so I really really…

Anita Yasuda:
Thank you so much. I just love being able to share this book all week. And I’m looking forward to keep continuing to share this beautiful book with people.

Cat Galeano:
I don’t see any questions in the chat. We see lots of love. But wanted to give you the opportunity if you wanted to add anything. I know you mentioned the Books of Wonder events. If you want to just kind of re-share that information for those that tuned in a little later.

Anita Yasuda:
Sure. So I know that there’s a huge book festival in the New York area on Saturday. So if anybody though is staying around on Sunday at 11:30 a.m., myself and Yuko Shimizu will be at Books of Wonder. And we are just can’t wait. So Yuko will be doing a little bit of drawing. There’ll be some activities and I will be reading from our book.

at Galeano:
That’s amazing. And I’m just going to wrap this up. I’m so sad because I could chat with you forever..

But so I just want to congratulate you and Yuko. beautiful, beautiful new book baby, that’s out in the world. For those that may want to order a copy, you can always purchase books at our virtual bookshop, powered by bookshop.org.

Will there be signed stock at Books of Wonder in case somebody can’t be?

Anita Yasuda:
Yes, there are, there are, and that’ll be the only opportunity to have both signatures in the book. And if anyone’s ever at the Highlights Foundation, the cover is up in the Asian cabin.

Cat Galeano:
Yay, Asian American Collective Voices cabin. If anyone wants to preview that, if you’re on campus, please make sure no one’s there. And if not, just knock on the door to see.

Anita Yasuda:
I’ll be doing that, I’ll be knocking.

Cat Galeano:
And I did tease this a little bit earlier, but Anita will be co-teaching the upcoming Research Techniques, a Two-Night mini taking place on October 22nd and 24th, where Anita, along with Jolene Gutierrez and Stephanie Gibeault will be going deep diving into all things research, which I’m excited to watch after the fact, because…

Anita Yasuda:
That’s gonna be a great mini, and so I hope that if you’re really interested in research for fiction and nonfiction, that I’ll see you there.

Cat Galeano:
Which is key to remind people, because some people think research only means nonfiction, but I would like to know what temperature and weather it is in my book, because I’m picking some random city I haven’t been to in a while, so it is important to research also for your fiction.

Anita Yasuda:
It’s a really important part of fiction, so if anyone’s interested, that’s happening next month.

Cat Galeano:
And thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, everyone, for tuning in from all over, and we hope you have a great weekend, and those that can make you to Books of Wonder, we hope to see you there.

Cat Galeano:
And if not, we always welcome you on campus. And thank you, Anita. I can’t wait to chat with you again. Yay, on campus. On campus. All right, bye, everybody. Thank you.