Berkeley-born Gyo Fujikawa was among first picture book authors to draw kids of multiple races

"Babies, five little kiddos with dumpling feet and chubby cheeks share a double-page spread. They do what babies do toddle about, give hugs, clutch a clown doll. Each baby sports a tiny halo. Sometimes they are little angels, Fujikawa writes. What's most remarkable is the babies themselves, their heads topped with black, brown, blond and red hair."

"The book, published in 1963, made history as one of the first mass-market children's titles to include kids of different races together on the page. Gyo Fujikawa's Babies, published in 1963, was among the first children's books to show children of different races playing together."

"Babies and its companion book Baby Animals became classics. They made it on the 2001 list of Publishers Weekly's top children's books of all time and sold upward of 2 million copies. The Japanese American author's books have been reprinted, sold and circulated in 22 countries and 17 languages."

"And yet for many years, Babies has been missing from the shelves of the Berkeley Public Library. Librarian Bae Smith said this is now changing, and as of this week, copies of the board book are available for checkout. They join the library's Fujikawa collection, which includes a copy of Mother Goose and a Spanish translation of Oh, What a Busy Day!"

Babies shows five babies with dumpling feet and chubby cheeks sharing a double-page spread, toddling, hugging, and clutching a clown doll. The babies sometimes appear as little angels, with tiny halos above their heads. Their hair varies in black, brown, blond, and red, emphasizing visible differences among children. Published in 1963, the book became one of the first mass-market children’s titles to include kids of different races on the page. Babies and its companion Baby Animals became classics, appearing on Publishers Weekly’s 2001 list of top children’s books and selling over two million copies. The books were reprinted and circulated in 22 countries and 17 languages. Copies recently returned to the Berkeley Public Library for checkout as part of a Fujikawa collection.

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