Michi is the primary main character in my second children’s picture book (here’s an overview). Here you will find a picture of Michi as a baby, but in the story, she’s nine years old. She’s a sweet American “girl next door.” Michi and her good friend Makoto both love dogs and they each yearn to have one for a pet. When Michi’s family adopts a dog and Makoto’s family cannot, that’s when the trouble begins. Dishonesty creeps in and starts weaving tangled webs for Michi and Makoto. Michi tries to save their friendship. But with the influence of Dishonesty, she acts mean and pushes Makoto away without meaning to.
This all stems from Michi trying to be a nice girl without using good character to guide her actions. As a baby, Michi was of course the sweetest, cutest thing you’ve ever seen. A picture of Michi as a baby is below. And here’s Makoto’s baby pic.
Fortunately, when she’s nine in the story of my second children’s picture book, Michi has access to the character-building traits of karate. And Makoto has experience with using the Dojo Kun’s positive values to improve his life. Maybe Makoto and the karate values can help Michi untangle the negative webs of Dishonesty that are ruining her life and her friendship with Makoto.
Michi’s name is a Japanese word for righteous way or good path. You can learn more about her name on the website Behind the Name. It has a lot of interesting information and opinions about different names.
-Jenifer Tull-Gauger
