He is a graduate of the
Kuwazawa Design Institute. His first children's picture book was published in 1973. He has published more than 400 books in Japan and his work has been widely translated into other languages. Books published in English include
Everyone Poops,
Santa Through the Window, ''Where's the Fish?
and The Crocodile and the Dentist''. He also provided songs for many children's shows, such as , written in 1987. His children's book
Over The Ocean was awarded the
Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 2017. == External links ==