Tennis champion Serena Williams is adding a new venture to her resume.
On December 1 she announced she’s releasing her first children’s book. The Adventures of Qai Qai is illustrated by Yesenia Moises and will be published by Feiwel and Friends on September 27th, 2022.
Qai Qai is a doll that was brought to life through animation. Alexis Ohanian, Williams’ husband and producer of King Richard, created the doll’s Instagram page back in 2018. The startup Invisible Universe helped digitize Qai Qai.
“Storytime is such an important pillar of our bedtime routine, like so many others around the world,” Serena Williams View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)
“>said in a statement about reading with her 4-year-old daughter. “Qai Qai is a special member of our family and we hope
The Adventures of Qai Qai will give others a new way to welcome Qai Qai into their own home.”
The book will bring forth themes such as the importance of believing in yourself, the power of imagination and friendship.
“The Adventures of Qai Qai is a story that is both practical and magical! Serena Williams’ message empowers children to believe that with confidence and imagination, you are never alone,” said Jean Feiwel, senior vice president and publisher of Feiwel and Friends, according to ET.
“I know one thing four years ago that was really important to us was to make sure that Olympia had a Black baby doll and have that be a very important first doll for her if for no other reason than to just expose her to something that can hopefully break a cycle that we know exists,” Alexis Ohanian told PEOPLE. “I think there’s a lot of people who have resonated with this idea of a really mischievous, and fun, and clever, and brave, and strong little girl doll and I’m excited to see all the places she goes and I do hope it can inspire kids – boys, girls, Black, white – all over the world to just have fun and dream.”
The book is slated to come out on September 27, 2022 and is now available for preorder here.
