Hiromi's Hands

When you think of sushi, you probably think of raw fish. But sushi isn't just the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, it's also an art form. Hiromi's Hands is a picture book biography about one of the first female sushi chefs in New York City. It's also a great resource to help celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. You can help celebrate family traditions, cultural heritage, world geography, and the rich diversity of Asian and Pacific Americans with books such as Hiromi's Hands. Hiromi Suzuki narrates how she followed in her father's footsteps, learning the ancient art of sushi at his side in his restaurant in New York. She begins with her father's long training as a sushi chef in Japan; his emigration to New York, where he opens his own restaurant; his marriage; and the birth of Hiromi. The tale of Hiromi is an inspirational one that will encourage young girls (or any readers for that fact!) that they can do anything! The ink and watercolor illustrations have wonderful spreads of sushi sure to make a reader fascinated with this art form. The book concludes with an author's note about Hiromi Suzuki's career, and a glossary and pronunciation guide of Japanese words.

Akira Suzuki grew up in Japan in a rural household with seven siblings. He quickly understood the importance of money because his family had very little of it. Among his favorite activities were trips with his mother to the fishmonger; the mounds of fish enthralled him, and his mother's encouragement to become a sushi chef fueled his dreams. He ultimately did become a sushi chef in a Tokyo restaurant, but it took years of training and working twelve-hour days, with only one day off a month. Even longer work days followed when he moved to the restaurant's New York City location. Years later, after Akira married and became a father, his daughter Hiromi insisted that he take her to the fish market. After all, her father worked so hard she almost never saw him, and something about the fish market intrigued her. What started as a love of spending time with him, learning about the best fish to buy, subsequently turned into a request that he teach her how to become a sushi chef. How would her father respond given that virtually all sushi chefs were men and traditional Japanese beliefs held that a woman's soft, warm hands would spoil the fish? Hiromi's Hands is superb. Based on a true story, this book makes an excellent vehicle for teaching children about non-traditional career opportunities for women in the labor market. With closely intertwined lessons about work ethic and Japanese customs and carefully-researched illustrations, this book has enough interesting substance to appeal to a wide readership.

Award-winning children's author Lynne Barasch presents Hiromi's Handsm a picturebook the true story of Japanese-American Hiromi Suzuki, who became the world's first female sushi chef. Introduced to the taste and the art of sushi preparation by her father. "Papa was demanding and the work was hard. I knew his high standards were meant to teach me to be the best chef I could be. It took three years until I got my own yanagi and began cutting fish." An author's note about Hiromi Suzuki's extraordinary pioneering sushi career, and a glossary and pronunciation guide of Japanese words (especially words for various sushi ingredients) round out this inspirational picturebook, sure to motivate young girls to pursue their dream - or young children everywhere to try sushi!

A story about sushi? I'm all over it. Drrrooool. This is the true story of one of the first female sushi chefs, who just happened to be best friends with the author's daughter. Very cool. Hiromi Suzuki narrates how she followed in her father's footsteps, learning the ancient art at his side in his restaurant in New York. She begins with her father's apprenticeship in Japan, and then traces how her career paralleled his: the fascination with the fish market, the determination to learn traditional methods to perfection, the pride in her craft. Barasch makes it as much a story about family values and love as it is about a woman breaking into traditional men's territory. The illustrations, in ink and watercolor, capture the bustle of two fish markets--one in Tokyo, the other the legendary Fulton Fish Market--but also neatly lays out how father and then daughter progressed from apprentice to experienced chef. A detailed spread shows us all the different types of sushi, which I worked hard to keep from slobbering over. Oddly enough, my son, who refuses to touch the stuff, is fascinated by this story and has requested repeated reads. Maybe I can win him over yet. A little cucumber roll, y'think?