My Writing and Reading Life with Kobi Yamada, Author of Maybe
The Children’s Book Review | September 13, 2019
Kobi Yamada
Kobi Yamada is a New York Times best-selling author and the creator of many inspiring gift books as well as the president of Compendium, a company of amazing people doing amazing things. He happily lives with the love of his life and their two super fun kids in the land of flying salmon where he gets to see unbelievable possibilities unfold every day. He thinks he just might be the luckiest person on the planet.
I write because …
Words have meaning and we are all here only a little while.
I read because …
Where else can you experience a world that is created both by the author and the images of your own imagination?
My latest published book is …
I wrote this book because …
I wanted to encourage kids of all ages to embrace their uniqueness and to expand their vision of what’s possible. I like to think of Maybe as a love letter to the vast potential in all of us.
My special place to write is …
Wherever inspiration finds me.
Necessary writing/creativity tool …
My iphone. It is usually within arm’s reach and I find it is fertile ground for planting seeds of new ideas.
Best moment …
I’ve got two. And both moments I was holding each of my kids for the first time.
The person who has been my greatest writing teacher or inspiration is …
My wife. She never ceases to believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself.
Currently reading …
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Favorite bookshop …
The Elliott Bay Book Company. The store is as magical as the books they carry.
All-time favorite children’s book I didn’t write…
Favorite illustrator …
Mae Besom. Mae illustrated my very first picture book, What Do You Do With An Idea?, so she holds a special place in my heart. And even though we couldn’t directly communicate with each other, because she only spoke Mandarin Chinese, and I only spoke English, she helped me see that creativity has no language, and that regardless of our differences, we are so much more together.
A literary character I would like to vacation with …
Willy Wonka. But I’d have to politely insist that we do a staycation at his place.
When I am not reading or writing I am …
Grateful. I realize I am so ridiculously fortunate to live a life filled with so much love and laughter.
—
Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us
Written by Kobi Yamada
Illustrated by Gabriella Barouch
Publisher’s Synopsis: You are the only you there ever has been or ever will be. You are unique in all the universe. Just the odds of you being here at this exact place and this exact time are so great and so rare that it will never happen again. Written by New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada, this is a story for everything you will do and everything you can be. It’s a story about all the possibilities ahead of you. It’s for who you are right now and it’s for all the magical, unbounded potential you hold inside. With its beautiful visual storytelling and timeless message, Maybe is an inspiring story for kids of all ages.
Ages 5-7 | Publisher: Compendium | September 15, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-1946873750
Buy the Book
Discover more books like Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us, written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Gabriella Barouch, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Inspirational Books, Kobi Yamada, and Picture Book; plus, be sure to follow along with our Writing and Reading Life series.
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