I want to be gentle – Stories of Children at Forget Me Not Farm
Forget Me Not Farm in Sonoma County, California is a haven where children and animals can bond and break the cycle of abuse. It is located on the grounds of the Sonoma Humane Society, and offers animal-assisted and horticultural therapy for young victims of abuse and neglect. Many of the animals at the farm have been rescued from abusive situations themselves. So caring for those animals empowers the children to help them find the compassion that is within them. It’s a wonderful program that I recommend everyone learn about. This book is written for children.
Iwasaki Publishing Co., Ltd., 2012 Yen 1,300 (Japanese)
This is the true story of a cat who was abandoned in the evacuation zone after the explosion of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Kitty, the cat, narrates the story of what happened to the people and animals in the nuclear disaster zone. I adopted Kitty in January of 2012, six months after he was rescued from the contamination zone. Since then I’ve made several trips into the nuclear no-go zone, accompanied by both animal rescue volunteers and by my cat’s original family, and I’ve photographed the world hidden inside the zone. I saw life thriving in nature without the presence of humans, and I saw lives lost due to human activities. The Fukushima disaster raises many questions about our proper role on Earth.
Girls Who Raise Service Dogs – The Dog Program That Opens Hardened Hearts
At-risk teenage girls at a juvenile facility in California participate in a service dog training program which gives them invaluable life lessons. They learn to be patient, responsible and compassionate through caring for the dogs they train. In return, the dogs give them the kind of unconditional love which helps open their hardened hearts, and helps establish their self-esteem.
Kodansha Ltd., Publishers, 2012 Yen 1,300 (Japanese)
In the summer of 2007 I met two puppies in Bosnia and Herzegovina who were being trained to become mine detection dogs. After they completed their training I followed them to Cambodia, where they were sent to work in the mine fields. This is a four-year documentary for young people about the work of those mine detection dogs, and about the Cambodian people’s effort to demine and restore their war-torn land, and ultimately, to reclaim their country.
Kodansha Ltd., Publishers, 2011 Yen 580 (Japanese)
Dogs can bring so much joy to children, especially when those children are hospitalized for long periods due to serious illnesses such as cancer. St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo is one of just a few hospitals in Japan that accepts therapy dog visits. The visits began after the death of a girl whose last wish was to be visited by a dog. By portraying the loving interaction between the dogs and the children, I wanted to show that animals can enhance the childrens’ quality of life, as well as help develop their resilience in the face of their difficult circumstances.
Iwasaki Publishing Co., Ltd., 2009 Yen 1,800 (Japanese)
