The Snail

Award-winning illustrator Emily Hughes offers a luminous picture book about the life of renowned Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi is one of the most important sculptors of all time. His iconic Akari lamps transformed how modern buildings approach light and space. But before he shaped the world, he was a child navigating two cultures.

Growing up mixed-race—born in the United States but raised in Japan—Noguchi found himself perceived as an outsider in both countries. Unable to identify fully as either Japanese or American, he conceived of himself as a snail, capable of retreating into his creative shell when the world did not embrace him. This tender, beautifully illustrated book celebrates Noguchi's journey from outsider to visionary.