Sleepy Baby Samurai and the Magic Painting
The Biggest Adventure for the Smallest Samurai
Sleepy Baby Samurai and the Magic Painting is a children’s picture book in English. It’s available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats from the bookstores listed below. Subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter to access a FREE audiobook recording to enjoy while reading Sleepy Baby Samurai.
Where to Get the Book
Little Umbrella (Vancouver, BC, Canada – Cafe)
Massy Books (Vancouver, BC, Canada – Indie Bookstore)
Amazon – International (Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle eBook)
Athenaeum Boekhandels – The Netherlands (Hardcover)
Barnes & Noble – USA (Hardcover & Paperback)
Bookshop.org – USA, UK, Spain (Hardcover)
Booktopia – Australia (Hardcover & Paperback)
Bookhouse New York – USA (Hardcover & Paperback)
Books.com.tw – Taiwan (Hardcover)
Discover Books – USA (Hardcover)
IndieBound – International (Hardcover)
Snowbound Books Michigan – USA (Hardcover & Paperback)
Waterstones – UK (Hardcover & Paperback)
Public Libraries – USA & Canada (Hardcover) Please email me if you’re a librarian interested in ordering my book!
About the Story
Sleepy Baby Samurai and the Magic Painting is a bedtime story about a sweet baby boy who cannot sleep. On baby’s quest to find his Mommy and favorite blanket, he enters a magical fantasy world painted by her and inspired by Japanese art. It will take true courage, compassion, and imagination for this little Samurai to discover what he is seeking.
For ages 4 – 8
(and anyone who enjoys stories of brave, sleepy heroes and baby dragons)
About the Illustrator
Duha Lee grew up in a family where everyone painted or taught art in Taiwan. Inspired by her family, Japanese comics, and Studio Ghibli films, she studied digital painting and graphic design in college. When she’s not drawing or designing, she’s exploring the world and discovering new things with her children. Duha lives in Iowa with her husband and her two children.
“I feel related to this book. I have an almost-two-year-old son, he loves his blanket and always wants me by his side. Drawing this main character in this book makes me think of him. I am very grateful to have this opportunity to work with Andrew. It is so lucky to work with such a nice and talented author for my first illustrated children’s book! My six-year-old daughter has seen me design the characters, draw the storyboard, the sketches and color them since the beginning. She has been asking what the story is about. I always tell her I will read this book to her once I finish the illustrations. I can’t wait to read this book to my children!”
Subjects & Themes:
Juvenile Fiction:
Martial Arts / Fantasy & Magic / Bedtime & Dreams / Asian American
Themes:
Family, loyalty, courage, perseverance, generosity, empathy, forgiveness, creativity, inspiration, the power of art
Main Characters:
DADDY: Ravi Kumar: Geologist, Father, and all-around nice guy.
MOMMY: Yuko Sakamoto: Painter and Mother, whose ancestor was a Samurai.
YUMA: their son and the hero of this story, pictured here carrying one of his Mother’s paint brushes.
Author’s Note: These characters are fictional: inspired by an amalgamation of family, friends, real people, and characters born from the imagination. I wanted to portray a mixed race family because this reality is sadly lacking in children’s literature. A great deal of research, consultation, and feedback from test readers was involved in the creation of this book. We have done our best to make the characters feel believeable and relatable.
Reviews:
@jessintokyo (Mom/TV Host in Japan) “The illustrations are wonderful and really compliment the story perfectly…”
@realjetsetter (Japanese Mom/Influencer) “I haven’t found such a perfectly relatable heartwarming book in so many years…”
Kidliomag – A Kid’s Magazine “Each page is like a beautiful piece of Japanese art and fully captures the essence of the story…”
Amazon.com Reviews “This children’s story book is the most interesting book I have ever read…” – Ryan Ho
Amazon.ca Reviews “We read it out loud every night since the day book arrived.” – Emily Lin
Goodreads Reviews “This fun children’s book is a fantastical dreamland adventure full of giggles and love.” – Rachel Greening (Author of If My Oak Tree Could Speak)
Book Launch Q & A Video:
Book Cover Painting Timelapse Video:
Discussion Questions & Activities:
If you’ve already purchased the book, then these questions & activities might be a fun way to share and learn more!
For More Info:
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