Akio Kashiwara

About The Author

Fifteen years ago, Ms. Sakagashi, the creator of this book, set out to design a book that would soothe crying babies. Her first attempt published in 2003 featured black, white and red art, and found a loyal audience. But she was not satisfied: she refined the content as more and more babies read and responded to the art. She tried lines of different thickness, and eventually added more colors, and then in 2009, she stumbled onto a simple squiggle with a smiley face created by Akio Kashiwara, that changed everything. That squiggle was exactly what she was looking for. Ms. Sakagashi confimed her suspicion that babies would fall in love with Mr. Akio Kashiwara's art, and this book has sold close to 700,000 copies in Japan over the last 8 years, making lots of babies (and their parents) very happy.

Books by Akio Kashiwara

Baby Sees First Colors: Black, White & Red

A totally mesmerizing high-contrast book for babies

Illustrated by Akio Kashiwara
Every new parent purchases at least one high-contrast board book, and this one, with its bold, more abstract art, stands out from the crowd.
Featuring graphic images that are perfect for infants, parents and babies will love exploring this book together.
Learn More
Baby Sees Colors

A totally mesmerizing high-contrast book for babies

Illustrated by Akio Kashiwara
Newborn babies as young as six weeks old will be mesmerized by the bold shapes and colors in BABY SEES COLORS! This book makes a perfect gift for a new baby—parents, grandparents, and other caretakers will love the bonding experience of reading this lovely board boo...
Learn More
BACK TO TOP