Based on the author’s true family history, Shell Song is a picture book about Japanese American incarceration in Hawai‘i during World War II and is a moving tribute to the importance of finding and collecting pieces of hope, big or small, even in the darkest of times.

Join us for a live book reading with author Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, see rare shells in Bishop Museum’s Malacology collection, participate in a shell stamping activity, and hang out with malacologists and Hawai‘i Malacological Society members to learn how to identify rare shells – guests are encouraged to bring your own shells to I.D. with experts!

The Pūpū Ola: Kāhuli Captive Rearing Research Center will also be open to view live rare native snails reared at Bishop Museum.

Book Synopsis

A grandfather loved music, seashells, and the sound of the ocean in Hawai‘i. But when war came, there was no more music. And in this war, there was no kindness for anyone who looked Japanese. Taken to an island prison, the grandfather passed many long, lonely days away from his family searching for tiny seashells. He collected the shells, labelled them, and saved them with care. His collection has been passed down to his children and grandchildren, and now, author-illustrator Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson tells the story of her grandfather and his shells.