I was inspired to write Takeshita Demons (pronounced ta-kesh-ta and meaning ‘under the bamboo’) to encourage diversity in children’s fiction: anyone can be a hero, and that our world is a multicultural place. All children deserve to be the star of the show.

My interest in Japanese folklore sparked when I was working in Japan as a teacher and editor. My students shared fairytales, my colleagues told ghost stories, and I began to ask questions. I discovered the world of Japanese yōkai.

Yōkai are Japan’s strange and supernatural creatures. They appear in folk tales, artwork and oral stories passed from generation to generation. In Japan, yōkai have restaurants named after them, statues sold of them, anime and manga made about them.

But outside of Japan, their stories are largely undiscovered. I wanted to change that. Kids everywhere should be able to laugh and marvel and wonder at the strange and spooky world of Japanese demons.

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