Keiko Sena, Popular Japanese Picture Book Illustrator, Author, Dies at 92; Works Included Beloved “Megane Usagi” (“Grace Wears Glasses”) Series

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:19 JST, October 29, 2024

Japanese picture book author and illustrator Keiko Sena passed away on Oct. 23 from old age. She was 92.

Sena, whose real name was Keiko Kuroda, was born in Tokyo. At the age of 19, she became an apprentice of Takeo Takei, a children’s picture artist, and learned painting. She mastered the traditional Japanese paper art hari-e — a form of collage — in which a picture is created by pieces of cut or torn paper.

After building a career in cutout pictures and kamishibai picture storytelling shows, she made her debut as a picture book artist in 1969 with the “Iyada Iyada no Ehon” series, consisting of four books. They include “Nenaiko Dareda” (“Don’t Want to Go to Bed?”) and “Iyada Iyada” (“I Don’t Want to!”)

In 1970, she won the Sankei Children’s Book Award for this series.

The picture book “Don’t Want to Go to Bed?” has sold more than 3.51 million copies and became a bestseller.

She continued to produce picture books full of humor with her creative hari-e pictures. Her many picture books, including the series “Megane Usagi” (“Gracie Wears Glasses”), are loved by readers of all ages.