It began in the fruit and vegetable aisle in a supermarket, just like the story of the book itself. I’m talking about the journey of my debut picture book, Avocado Asks (Orchard Books 2020), a story about search for one’s own identity and finding peace with it. In this post, I'm going to share the ideas and process behind making this book and my experience as a first-time author-illustrator.
IDEAS
My guac-amazing three-year journey with my little avocado began with one simple question that popped into my head while I was doing grocery shopping - Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable? Then I wondered what if an avocado itself doesn’t know the answer? That’s how I found a seed of the story!
This story sprouted and grew from the simple character idea. I could instantly feel a connection to the character in identity crisis. As a Japanese who lives in UK, I don’t feel quite like Japanese nor quite like British. I used to hate this feeling of not knowing where I belong. The character also reminded me of National Geographic’s gender revolution issue in 2017, which featured a trans gender child. (For more about the idea behind this book, read this post.)
The more global and modern our societies have become, the more fluid and diverse our identities have become, which is in my opinion something to celebrate. However, it’s a blessing and curse. Complexity comes with complication and confusion. Also, I believe the main issue lies in our tendency to put labels on others and ourselves. So I wanted to write a story for all the kids in the modern world where identities are not as simple as they used to be. It doesn't really matter whether we're Japanese or Jamaican, boy or girl, gay or straight as long as we're happy with ourselves.
I wanted to make this story about a literal and metaphorical journey. That’s why, although the story is set in a normal supermarket, I consciously made it look like Avocado is exploring through the jungle.
