Erin Dealey

We’re excited to chat with author Anita Yasuda today, in celebration of the Book Birthday of this fascinating nonfiction pb, Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei A Life In The Mountains, illustrated by Caldecott-Honor artist Yuko Shimizu (Clarion Books / Harper Collins).

2024 Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

★ “Yasuda’s captivating, poetic prose weaves powerful metaphors and Shimizu’s dreamy illustrations immerse readers.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “With evocative, simile-rich prose and dazzling, visually complex spreads, it’s a memorable story about living life on the edge of possibility.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher: Junko Tabei dreamed of a life climbing mountains. But men refused to climb with her. Sponsors told her to stay home. And gloves were not made to fit her hands. Eager and unstoppable, Junko wouldn’t let these obstacles get in her way. Instead, she planned an expedition to summit Mount Everest with an all-women team. Battling icy slopes, deep crevasses, and even an avalanche, Junko refused to give up. She climbed step by step . . . up, up, ever up!

After summiting the world’s tallest peak, Junko took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations. The picture book celebrates a trailblazing climber who invites us to dare to reach our dreams—no matter how big.

Also featured in “A Fall Harvest of Titles for Kids.” (Literary Hub.)

Meet the Author:

Anita Yasuda is a writer with an Honours degree in East Asian and South Asian studies from Victoria College, University of Toronto. She taught in Japan and worked an early childhood educator. Anita is based in Ontario, Canada. When she is not writing, she is planning her next hike.

Let’s Ask Some Questions!

Finding Junko Tabei

Q 1. When did you first learn about Junko Tabei? When did you decide to share her story?

Anita Yasuda: My journey with Junko Tabei’s story began in the 1980s. I was a high school student in Yokohama, Japan, as part of a school exchange program. It was a fantastic experience that changed the course of my life. I remember reading about Junko during that time and her climbing adventures.

When Junko was a child, she climbed with a school group at Nikko National Park. She was taken by the landscape—the different scents, the rocks, the view! It was so different from her home in Miharu, Fukushima. The experience inspired Junko to see more, do more, and climb more. Likewise, I was able to do the same climb in high school, and it inspired a lifelong love of the outdoors.

Over the years, I read articles and found news stories about Junko, especially her work with young people from triple disaster-hit Fukushima in 2011. As a former educator, I always look for inspiring figures like Junko Tabei to share with children.

Research and Beyond

Q 2. Are you a climber? What was the research like for this book?

Anita Yasuda: While I am not a climber, I love hiking and the outdoors. Every day, I explore the trails of southern Ontario, my home, or take walks with my newly adopted dog, Lenny. My earliest memories are filled with the joy of exploring conservation areas near my house and later in Japan on exchange. Is there anything better than bundling up in the winter and cutting a trail through fresh snow and under icy branches? Walks like this remind me how grateful I am to wake up each morning and explore this world. Writing this picture book allowed me to share my passion for hiking, adventure, and caring for these natural environments.

After a close friend began planning an Everest basecamp climb, I threw myself into research for Up, Up, Ever Up. At first, I cast a wide net and read a few of Junko Tabei’s many books on her climbing experiences. I then contacted former teammates, colleagues, and guides, including the Himalayan Adventure Trust of Japan (HAT-J). Junko Tabei was the trust director. HAT-J, part of the larger Himalayan Trust founded by Sir Edmund Hillary, worked to preserve mountain environments. This research process allowed me to delve deep into Junko’s life and work, ensuring that the book is an accurate and inspiring portrayal of her story.

The HAT-J trust in Japan has since disbanded, but they were extremely helpful in answering my questions. Through them, I learned more about Junko’s environmental work. Today, she is better known for her humanitarian work with young survivors of the triple Fukushima disaster. Junko has since passed away from cancer, but her foundation continues to instill hope in young people, encouraging them to experience the world beyond their door through climbing.

Q 3. Writing a nonfiction biography involves such a massive task of distilling information into a picture book format. Does your experience in educational publishing help in this process?

Anita Yasuda: Definitely. I worked for a decade in educational publishing, where I gained experience creating nonfiction books that adhered to specific chapter and word count guidelines. Over time, I learned how to focus on a particular event or experience from a person’s life, though some books were a little broader in scope.

The book Yuko and I created communicates Junko’s persistence, her family’s love and support, her lasting impact on the lives of youth, her love of the natural world, and the importance of preserving these natural environments.

So Many Favorites

Q 4. Yuko Shimizu’s amazing illustrations look like traditional woodblock prints to me. What is your favorite spread? Why?

Anita Yasuda: I have so many favorite spreads. I could frame each page. I think Caldecott honor artist Yuko Shimizu outdid herself. Choosing a favourite spread would be like picking a favourite child – impossible. I love the opening pages where Yuko superimposes Junko’s dream of climbing mountains into her head. I love the textures on the mom’s kimono, each sweet face in Nepal spread, the enormous expanse of white during the climb, and the agony of the avalanche and the hope portrayed by the illustration of Junko’s family. Incredible.

Surprises and Discoveries

Q 5. What was the most surprising fact or discovery you’ve made as your book, Up, Up, Ever Up!, went from idea to published book?

Anita Yasuda: It always amazes me how many people work on a picture book. Over the journey, it may seem at times that it is you and your idea, pencil and paper or fingertips and computer, just like Junko’s dream of scaling the highest summit began with an idea, a wish that she could climb 8,000-foot peaks—summit Everest? Yes, she could dream, but it took a team.

Eventually, that idea becomes a seed as you further your research. Roots grow as you reach out more to experts. When you arrive at a polished draft, you may involve critique partners. Perhaps you will show your manuscript to your agent or dive into the query trenches.

Even with an agent, your manuscript will go out in rounds, which means it will be sent to batches of editors who may be a good fit for your project. Then, you have to revise and resubmit before it is finally acquired, as well as further revisions, line edits, and copy edits. Then, a marketing and publicity team will work to ensure teachers and librarians see your book. It indeed requires a village behind any picture book.

Believe

Q 6. If you were to compare Junko’s persistence and process of preparing, climbing, and restoring Mount Everest, to the process of writing a nonfiction picture book biography like Up, Up, Ever Up!, how might they be similar or different?

Anita Yasuda: Junko believed in herself. She thought the secret to climbing or achieving any goal was to put one foot in front of the other, up, up, ever up. Junko also dreamed of creating more climbing opportunities for women, which led her to help form a climbing club just for women; they then set their sights on 8,000 peaks and took on the Annapurna summit. Annapurna is considered more challenging than Everest because of the unpredictable weather conditions and the technical challenges it presents climbers. Likewise, a writer must realize that a final draft is done in multiple steps. Drafts are a slow progression from one challenge to another.

Junko researched climbing waste on Mount Everest as part of her master’s thesis. She participated in cleanup campaigns through the Himalayan Adventure Trust- Japan, which raised funds for and built an incinerator (no longer in use) that burned waste from the mountain. Within Japan, the Himalayan Trust initiated Take-in and Take-out campaigns encouraging hikers to leave natural places as they found them.

Team Effort

Writers need to realize that they, too, are working with others. A book is a team effort, from the people you interview to critique partners who offer feedback, an agent who supports you, editors who will help the book shine even more, the illustrator, who is half of the entire book, and then the marketing team, who will get your book in front of the people interested in your topic.

Q 7. Speaking of Team Effort, how has your family supported your #Kidlit journey?

Anita Yasuda: My husband Koji supported my writing career, which began decades ago while I was teaching. I started by writing for magazines and newspapers, focusing on family-friendly events. Later, I transitioned into educational publishing, working on various projects, including social studies, science, easy readers, and early graphic novels.

My young daughter and niece eagerly participated in testing activities and crafts for my projects. One of my favorite memories is when the girls wore astronaut costumes decorated with planets and their favorite constellations for Halloween. The costumes were based on an activity in a space-themed book I wrote for Nomad Press.

Q 8. What do you hope readers will take away from reading this book?

Anita Yasuda: I hope readers feel inspired to reach for their dreams because they can achieve them if they set their minds to them, one step at a time, UP UP—EVER UP!

BONUS: Teacher’s Guide Link Here

This excellent classroom guide for elementary students based on UP, UP, EVER UP! addresses a variety of Common Core and other relevant standards and includes pre-reading activities, reading comprehension, vocabulary, ecology, social studies, and geography exercises.

Coming SOON: Check the website for games, including crosswords, a Make a Your Adventure board game, and outdoor activities based on UP, UP, EVER UP!

Q 9. What projects are next for you? Can you share?

Anita Yasuda: I wrote a sweet book, Diwali: A Festival of Lights, illustrated by Darshika Varma with Little Golden Books, Penguin Random House, which released on August 27, 2024.

I have another project on Bollywood dancing with Kids Can Press coming out in 2026. The pandemic delayed this book, but I’m excited that it now has a wonderful illustrator, Devika Oza, attached to the project. Devika’s vibrant illustrations perfectly match my lyrical text. I can’t wait to share the cover with everyone.

I also have other unannounced projects in the works, and I’m super excited about a 2025 poetry anthology project that includes a sports poem about an athlete I’ve long admired.

Wonderful! Happy Book Birthday to

Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei A Life In The Mountains

–and mountains of gratitude to Anita Yasuda for joining us on the blog today.

To learn more about Anita Yasuda’s work, visit her web site: www.anitayasuda.com

And follow her on Instagram: @anita.yasuda

Next up: A three book + three author chat about some wonderful Halloween titles:

GETTING READY FOR HALLOWEEN and THE BATS BENEATH THE BRIDGE by Janet Nolan

and BROOMMATES by Lynne -Marie and Brenda Sturgis.