Author Profile
Debbi Michiko Florence
15 Books
Debbi Michiko Florence writes warm, lively books for children and teens, often centered on friendship, family, identity, and the everyday bravery of growing up. She is the author of the Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series, which follows a spirited Japanese American girl as she tries new things, learns from mistakes, and celebrates her family traditions. Her books also include the My Furry Foster Family series, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, and A Study in Secrets. Florence’s stories are known for humor, heart, and characters who feel real to readers navigating school, friendships, pets, crushes, and change. Across age levels, her work offers inviting, relatable stories with a strong sense of kindness and belonging.
Jasmine Toguchi is ready for time with Sophie in Japan, but her cousin Akari has other plans.
In Hiroshima, Jasmine visits her grandmother and meets Akari, hoping for a new friend and more fun with her big sister. Instead, Akari seems much more interested in Sophie. Jasmine feels left out, jealous, and unsure how to keep the peace when her feelings keep bubbling over.
With gentle humor and a strong family heart, this chapter book explores visiting relatives, making room for new friendships, and handling jealousy in a way young readers will recognize. Jasmine's trip also offers a thoughtful introduction to Hiroshima, kindness, and connection across distance.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
76 Pages
Japan is wonderful, but Jasmine Toguchi is starting to miss home.
When her family visits Kabo, the village where her grandmother grew up, Jasmine hopes the beach, tangerine grove, and local festival will shake off her homesick mood. She especially wants to explore with her older sister Sophie. But Sophie would rather stay inside reading manga, and Jasmine cannot understand why her sister will not just have fun with her.
This warm chapter book follows Jasmine through a summer adventure filled with family feelings, cultural discovery, and small mistakes. As she learns to compromise, readers see how sisters can care about each other even when they want different things.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
88 Pages
Buttons is tiny, tabby, and very good at hiding from the world.
Eight-year-old Kaita Takano and her family foster animals until they are ready for forever homes. Buttons the kitten is sweet, but he is much shyer than his playful littermates, and every adoption day seems to leave him behind. Kaita wants to help, but kittens cannot be rushed.
Told in Kaita's friendly voice, this illustrated early chapter book follows one family's gentle work with a nervous foster pet. Young readers who love cats will find a cozy story about patience, trust, and learning how to help an animal feel safe.
6-8 Years
73 Pages
Jasmine Toguchi wants a pet. Not just any pet. A flamingo.
When her best friend gets a puppy, Jasmine starts dreaming of a pet of her own. Then her grandmother sends a daruma doll from Japan, and Jasmine uses it to make her biggest wish yet. To prove she is ready, she cleans, helps, brushes her teeth, takes out the trash, and studies flamingos with serious determination.
But flamingos are not exactly ordinary house pets, and Jasmine's wish may be harder to grant than she expected. Warm, funny, and full of family feeling, this illustrated chapter book follows Jasmine as she learns about responsibility, hope, and the surprising ways a wish can come true.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
126 Pages
Betty is not soft and cuddly, but she definitely knows how she wants to be treated.
Kaita Takano's family has fostered plenty of dogs and cats, but a bearded dragon is something new. Betty arrives with scales, attitude, and a taste for being pampered like royalty. Kaita wants to help find Betty the perfect forever home, but first she has to learn what this unusual pet needs.
This cheerful illustrated chapter book gives early readers a funny, friendly animal story with a reptile in the spotlight. Through Kaita's eyes, readers see that every foster pet is different, and caring for an animal means listening, learning, and giving them the right kind of love.
6-8 Years
66 Pages
Truman may be an older dog, but he has plenty of trouble left in him.
When the black Lab arrives at Kaita Takano's house, her animal-fostering family is ready to help him find a forever home. But Truman brings tricks, messes, and mischief from morning to night. He is not a tiny puppy, yet he keeps everyone busy with his playful energy.
Narrated by eight-year-old Kaita, this illustrated early chapter book is a lively pick for readers who love dogs and funny pet stories. As Kaita gets to know Truman, she learns that rescue animals can still surprise you, and that helping a foster pet takes patience, humor, and a lot of love.
6-8 Years
71 Pages
Jasmine Toguchi has packed her toothbrush, her special journal, and a huge amount of excitement.
Her family is going to Japan, and Tokyo is full of things to discover: temples, city views, ramen shops, and places Jasmine has only heard about before. But exploring a new country is not always easy. Jasmine makes mistakes, gets confused, and cannot seem to escape her older sister Sophie's bad mood.
With humor and heart, this illustrated chapter book follows Jasmine as she tries to find her footing far from home. Readers will enjoy the travel adventure, the sibling tension, and the lively introduction to Japanese culture through the eyes of a curious eight-year-old who wants very much to be brave.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
90 Pages
The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata
A box of bright Japanese monster toys can change everything.
When Mark Nagata was a child in California, a Christmas package from relatives in Japan opened his eyes to kaiju: strange, colorful creatures unlike any toys he had seen before. He gave them names, imagined battles, and filled his world with wild shapes, bold colors, and roaring possibilities.
This picture book biography follows Mark from a young artist who loved comics, movies, and monsters to a celebrated toy designer and painter whose kaiju creations are collected around the world. With lively energy and a strong sense of wonder, Monster Maker shows how childhood curiosity, cultural connection, and creative practice can grow into a one-of-a-kind art career.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Jasmine Toguchi has a mystery to solve, and it starts with a weekend that refuses to go according to plan.
Girl's Day should mean fun with her sister, her mom, and her best friend Linnie. There are outfits to choose, accessories to find, and a special Japanese celebration to enjoy. But then Linnie acts strangely, Sophie seems uninterested, and Jasmine starts noticing clues everywhere.
As Jasmine tries to figure out what is really going on, she discovers that not every mystery is about hidden objects or secret messages. Some clues are about feelings, friendship, and paying attention to the people you love. This warm, funny chapter book is a sweet choice for readers who enjoy family stories, friendship puzzles, and a curious heroine with plenty of energy.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
125 Pages
Roo the rabbit is someBUNNY special, but he is not easy to understand at first.
Kaita Takano is thrilled when her family welcomes a mini lop foster pet. She is used to dogs that lick your face and show you exactly how they feel. Roo is different. He is skittish, quiet, and not sure he is ready to trust everyone yet.
Kaita wants to help Roo find a forever home, but she may need to slow down and learn how rabbits show comfort in their own way. This gentle illustrated early chapter book is a sweet animal story about patience, care, and discovering that every pet has a different personality.
6-8 Years
70 Pages
Jasmine Toguchi is not ready for her trip to Japan to end.
In Kyoto, she has more to see, more to learn, and more time with Sophie and Obaachan. Her grandmother helps her slow down and notice the moment she is in, but Jasmine is already worrying about how far away Obaachan will feel once she returns to the United States.
So Jasmine makes a plan, complete with vegetable seeds, a pink flamingo, and plenty of love. This heartfelt chapter book blends humor, travel, gardening, and family connection as Jasmine looks for a way to carry part of her Japan visit home with her.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
86 Pages
Apple and Annie are small, speedy, and very hard to keep in one place.
When two dwarf hamsters arrive from the animal shelter, Kaita Takano is excited to help her family foster them. The hamsters are curious and full of energy, and Kaita wants to find them safe forever homes. There is just one problem: before she can help them, she has to find them.
This lively illustrated early chapter book is a playful animal story for readers who like tiny pets, gentle adventure, and a little bit of chaos. Told by Kaita herself, it shows the fun and responsibility of fostering animals who have minds of their own.
6-8 Years
71 Pages
Jasmine Toguchi is tired of Sophie doing everything first.
As New Year's approaches, Jasmine's family gathers in Los Angeles to make mochi. Sophie gets to help the women roll the soft rice treats, but Jasmine is told she is too young. That is when Jasmine spots a different chance: pounding mochi with the men. It is special, it is important, and Sophie has definitely never done it before.
But tradition says mochi pounding is for boys, and the heavy hammer is not easy to lift. With determination, humor, and plenty of mess, Jasmine sets out to prove she deserves a turn. This lively first book in the Jasmine Toguchi series celebrates family, Japanese American culture, and a girl who wants to make her own place.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
128 Pages
The school talent show is coming, and Jasmine Toguchi needs a talent fast.
Her friends already seem ready: yo-yos, dancing, piano. Jasmine can climb trees, make mochi, and create collages, but none of those feel quite right for the stage. Then her mom introduces her to taiko, a traditional Japanese drum, and Jasmine finally hears a beat that feels like hers.
Practicing is exciting, but Jasmine also wants to beat Maggie Milsap, who is sure she will have the best act. This funny, encouraging chapter book follows Jasmine as she learns a new skill and discovers that trying your best can matter more than being the best.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
129 Pages
A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites
Niki Nakayama's story is served in thirteen unforgettable bites.
As a child, Niki experimented with food and flavors. As she grew older, she followed her dream of becoming a chef, even when people told her that women did not belong at the highest levels of Japanese cuisine. Instead of giving up, Niki kept learning, creating, and letting her food speak for itself.
Structured like a kaiseki meal, this picture book biography introduces readers to the Japanese American chef behind the celebrated Los Angeles restaurant n/naka. From childhood kitchen moments to bold professional choices, Niki Nakayama: A Chef's Tale in 13 Bites is an inspiring true story about creativity, persistence, culture, and the courage to make your own path.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
21 Pages
