SHARON FUJIMOTO-JOHNSON
AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR
press
FEATURES
NikkeiWest: November 25, 2025
A personal essay by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Hawai'i News Now: October 6, 2025
In ‘Shell Song,’ author Sharon Fujimoto Johnson shares the experience of her grandfather, who collected shells to pass the time.
Hawai'i Public Radio: September 26, 2025
It started with a shell collection. When she was a child, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson inherited a set of old matchboxes. Inside were dozens of shells that her grandfather collected during World War II. HPR spoke with Fujimoto-Johnson about telling her family’s story in a children's book.
Hidden Histories | Searching for my Grandfather's Voice at Honouliuli (video)
Pacific Historic Parks: September 4, 2025
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Honouliuli being designated a National Historic Site by the federal government, the National Park Service and Pacific Historic Parks proudly present Hidden Histories. A speaker series featuring leading experts on Honouliuli and the untold stories of World War II in Hawaii
Discover Nikkei | Show and Tell: Sharing the Shells of Her Family Story with Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
By Chiana Fujiwara: May 6, 2025
"Rooted in personal family history, Fujimoto-Johnson shares the tale of her grandfather, simultaneously raising much-needed awareness toward one side of the complicated Japanese American experience during World War II."
The Bright Agency Blog | Behind the Book: Shell Song
April 15, 2025
"While this book shares an important and overlooked event in history, it’s both a touching and emotional family story of rememberance and inheritance."
By Theresa Saso: April 15, 2025
"They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but Shell Song, written and illustrated by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, proves them wrong. Shell Song’s jacket is breathtaking; a visual promise of beauty and depth."
Review: Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
By Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor: April 2025
"[T]his harrowing picture book manages to capture both the cruelty of humanity and the beauty of nature, emphasizing the idea that the latter will always outweigh the former. The shell makes a particularly good metaphor, scooped out of life and seemingly empty but filled with beauty and music if one is willing to spend a bit more time with it."
March 6, 2025
"Images of the author’s grandfather’s shells and fabric textures from familial garments anchor airbrush-like illustrations of the family in a simply told, inheritance-focused narrative from Fujimoto-Johnson..."
Sactown Magazine | A Hunger for Healing
By Leilani Marie Labong: July/August 2024
"A Roseville cancer survivor reflects on the restorative power of writing and illustrating her debut children’s tale, The Mochi Makers. In this case, a picture book is worth a thousand words."
The Bright Agency Blog | Behind the Book: The Mochi Makers
March 14, 2024
"The Mochi Makers is an incredibly heart-warming and personal book about the importance of family, tradition, and remembering those who came before us."
Kirkus Reviews | Starred Review
February 1, 2024
The Mochi Makers: "A storytelling treat to be savored among family."
STYLE Magazine | Drawing Inspiration: Spotlight on Illustrators
August 2023
"Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson has been making art her whole life. While recovering from cancer during the pandemic, the Roseville resident realized her dream of writing and illustrating children’s books."