Adam Katagiri met his sweetheart Dalia al-Kury in Europe in 2002 while he was doing humanitarian work for a peace organization. The couple had two and one half years together, much of the time with Adam in Canada where he had received his pilot training and Dalia at her home in Jordan. To ease the pain of parting, he wrote her letters and stories; they were gifts to his loved one for Valentine's Day or to cheer her. In addition to being a pilot, Adam wanted to be a writer and he contributed articles to a Jordanian publication, but these stories to Dalia were special. They were children's stories, told simply - tales of travelling worms, bumble bees or fantastic creatures such as Robbie the Wombop.
Although he didn't know it at the time, the stories were to be his legacy.
While working for the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan in 2004, Adam Katagiri crashed his ultralite plane during an air show. He was just 27. It was a devastating blow not only for his partner, but for his mother Patricia Morrison and father Sadao Katagiri who lived in Langley, B.C. at the time. (The couple are part-time Coast residents and are currently building a home in Garden Bay.) It was only after Adam's tragic death that Dalia showed his parents the many wonderful stories."In the midst of chaos, I read them," said Patricia, "and thought, 'I can hear his voice'." The two agree that Adam is in every story.
Why children's stories? The couple did not have any children, but Dalia said Adam liked to be read to as a child and he knew that she also loved that experience.
"We wanted to get them published," said Dalia who visits annually with Adam's parents ever since his death. She and Patricia spent time in the children's section of a large bookstore looking at examples of current literature and then turned to the rest of the family for help. Dalia would do the art direction, father Sadao, who is about to retire from his Langley job, would hone rusty drawing skills to illustrate the stories, Patricia would edit and Adam's brother, Gen, would read and critique.
Betty the Worm, the first in a series by Addycake Press, was born. It is a lively tale of a friendly worm who wants to know others like herself. Unfortunately, there are not many who like to wriggle through the cool earth as she does. Instead, her world is populated by lazy, sun-tanning dude worms, busy commuter worms or other unpleasant characters. Betty must learn a bit about herself and what she values in life before finally finding a friend.
The story is made all the more poignant when Dalia realized that the author's inspiration had come while she was visiting Wadi Rum, a desert tourist destination in Jordan that Adam loved. "What would it be like to be among a grain of sand?" he had mused, and the idea of a wriggling earthworm came to life. Ironically, it was also Wadi Rum where Adam's plane crashed.The illustrations are simple and colourful, based on sketches from Dalia and Sadao's artwork. The stories always include some aspect of nature and his mother recalls that young Adam loved to be out in the garden watching tiny insects. They are also about values and about being true to oneself, appropriate for kids aged three to nine years old. Patricia and Dalia were nervous about their recent invitation to read from the book before children at Madeira Park Elementary School. "Kids give the honest truth," Patricia laughed.She describes the book as "complex ideas delivered in a deceptively simply way," and she recalls that Adam always felt that a good story could be conveyed in less than 100 pages. The family is excited by the immediate prospect of having the series published as a package in Japan, in translation, though they are also hoping for a publisher in English. The publishing process is difficult but meaningful.
"I know I'll never forget him," says his father, "but for others, Adam's memory will fade. We are fortunate to have these stories."
Betty the Worm is available locally at Talewind Books and Coast Books or online at www.addycake.com for $9.95 plus shipping.
