Alexis Ohanian, Olympia Ohanian and Serena Williams.Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
First Serena Williams gave her daughter’s dollQai Qaiher own Instagram account. Now, she’s getting her own book!
“Storytime is such an important pillar of our bedtime routine, like so many others around the world,” Williams, 40, said in a statement about reading with her 4-year-old daughterOlympia, whom she shares with husbandAlexis Ohanian, 38. (See below for art from the book shared exclusively with PEOPLE.)
“Qai Qai is a special member of our family and we hopeThe Adventures of Qai Qaiwill give others a new way to welcome Qai Qai into their own home.”
Macmillan Children’s
Since then, Williams and Ohanian have continued to share Olympia’s toy with fans both in-person and on Instagram. (In May, Williams posed with Olympia and Qai Qai in matching pink swimsuits. “When@nikemakes a swimsuit for not just@olympiaohanianbut@realqaiqaitoo,” the athlete captioned the photo.) Qai Qai is now an Internet celebrity and a beloved doll for thousands of children.
“Very quickly we started to see this story play out online of people who were just so enamored with this doll and were really excited to hear about the stories and adventures she was going to go on,” the Reddit co-founder added. “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.”
InThe Adventures of Qai Qai, the doll teaches a young girl about “the importance of believing in herself.” The book celebrates friendship and the power of imagination.
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“This book is dedicated to all little girls,” Williams writes in the picture book’s dedication. “Let this book be a constant reminder that you can do anything you put your mind to. Imagine it, believe it, do it.”
The Adventures of Qai Qaiwill be released in September 2022.
source: people.com
