With Hoover’s witty supporting characters and excellent ability to mend themes of love, lust, humor, and real-life problems, actions, and consequences (WITH loads of sexual tension but WITHOUT a lot of her classic spicy love scenes), this is not a book to sleep on. This is the sixth book in Felix’s long story of friendship and survival, and its seeds were sown in several of the earlier volumes. Kobi: We believe in collaboration. We believe that together we are better than our separate parts. Jill Labieniec, our super talented designer, provided the art direction for this title. She worked hand in hand with Gabriella for over a year, discussing at length what we were trying to accomplish and how we wanted to weave in symbolism throughout to depict the growth and journey of our characters. Gabriella was a very generous and willing partner in bringing life to this book. Gabriella: Yes, the “you may fail” text. I wasn’t sure how I could show a child’s failure without it being too heavy or scary for a child to read. I was struggling with it for a while, then saw my son having trouble drawing something and it felt so right.

Kobi: I think, in many ways, each day brings opportunities to test our potential. But if I were to take on something completely new, it might be in the culinary arts. It is such a fun, life-enriching art form and you get to deliciously begin again with each meal. It’s possible I’m searching here, however, sometimes the artwork feels like it is playing homage to some classic literature. The polar bear reminds me of Iorek Byrnison , the polar bear from Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. The sweet pig could be Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web. Am I imagining this? Maybe Now features some humor, spicy scenes, a love story, as well as complex medical issues and decisions. I am unsure there are many other authors out there who could take a stab at tying those types of elements up into a neat little bow that is a pleasure to read, but leave it to Hoover to pull it off. This is also, in my opinion, one of Hoover’s cheesiest books. Prepare to cringe a bit during some scenes. It’s highly likely that you know New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada from his many inspiring gift books, including What Do You Do With an Idea?He is also the president of Compendium, a company thatturns everyday items into gorgeous gifts that inspire. For his latest book, Maybe, Yamada has partnered with award-winning illustrator Gabriella Barouch, whose work has received worldwide acclaim. Maybeis her debut picture book. Yamada’s joy and appreciation for life combined with Barouch’s deep love of nature has created an inspiring and absolutely stunning book that will undoubtedlyspeak to people of all ages. But don’t take our word for it, read on and be inspired all on your own…

Customer reviews

Gabriella: As an illustrator, I’m heavilyinfluencedby classic children’s literatureand art. With that said, no intentional homagewas made. We meet Sydney, whose boyfriend has just cheated on her with her roommate, and her guitar-playing neighbor Ridge, who lets Sydney temporarily stay with him when she no longer can look at said roommate. Kobi: In many ways, we are all failures. And I feel that is a very good thing. We learn so much from the times we have failed. Failure is a necessary ingredient for success. In addition, I believe the experience of having failed gives us more compassion, more empathy, more understanding for others when they are dealing with challenges. Personally, I have failed so many times I can’t count. But I also know that I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything, as they helped me gain important perspective, appreciation, and courage. In this book, a main character is deaf and a second character has a complex medical issue. Reading about things of this sensitive nature as part of a story where the main focus is elsewhere is one of Hoover’s biggest strengths.

Felix’s whole life up till now has been lived in a world of maybe. War is full of uncertainty – you can never be sure if your home, family, pets, friends, school or even self will be around tomorrow. If you’re an optimist like Felix, you hope they will. You want your loved ones to have a future and you want to have one with them. In traditional publishing, the author and illustrator of a picture book do not typically have a lot of communication. How did the both of you collaborate on Maybe? Gabriella: I would love to try to design toys. I feel so connected to this field. It’s like this huge branch of childhood that carries so much nostalgia and charm, it warms my heart. This book has been criticized for themes of hypocrisy, however, given both that Sydney was a victim of cheating at the start of the book and also that Ridge is grappling with essentially those same tempting thoughts as he and Sydney become closer.Gabriella: It was a combination between Kobi’s vision for the book and my illustration style that includes elements I love to draw, such as nature and kids exploring childhood.When I read Kobi’s text I immediatelyfell in love with the first question, it felt so magical. Whether through tangible experiences or emotional involvement, readers are encouraged to travel, explore, and seek out opportunities that will stimulate personal growth. What are your personal hopes that young readers will take away from Maybe? A Colleen Hoover rule that holds true: always expect the unexpected. She has the ability to take what may look like a simple romance novel on the surface and bring in elements of complexity. In the first book, Maybe Someday, we met and fell in love with Ridge and Sydney just as they fell in love with one another. A parte le immagini che sono stupende, curate e dei preziosi tesori, il messaggio che trasmette è uno dei più importanti anzi fondamentali della vita.

This book is beautifully illustrated, the message is wonderfully simple, and these few lines in particular calmed the *religious disorientation* pulling me down: This story alternates narration between Sydney and Ridge. This method of storytelling is commonly employed by Hoover and is very effective, as Ridge ends up in quite a tug-of-war with his feelings. It enables the reader to fully feel the palpable struggle he’s experiencing. Gabriella: It was actually Kobi’s idea, a part of his vision for the girl—a child that createsher own adventures. The bird hat represents her dreams and creativity for me since she made it herself. The only difference between falling in love and being in love is that your heart already knows how you feel, but your mind is too stubborn to admit it.” We also watch Warren and Bridgette grow as both individuals as well as a couple, but I mostly enjoyed the strides that Bridgette took in this book. She still stays true to herself and has a lot of the same traits that make her who she is, but she most definitely softens up a bit particularly toward the end of this book.Gabriella: I do! The girl in the book is based on a real life girl I personally know. She was my reference for the art and naturally her personality transferred into the book, along with her look. She is a free spirit and I felt she is so right for this book. While I did not find this story as gripping as some of her other works such as It Ends With Us, I fell in love with the characters and identified with the challenging situations in which they found 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.

Sydney and Ridge become close as she begins writing song lyrics for his band, however as their relationship grows, the fact that Ridge is in a happy and committed relationship with his girlfriend, Maggie, cannot be overlooked.

Giveaway begins September 25, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 25, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. MT. How To Enter Go to https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2019/09/kobi-yamada-and-gabriella-barouch-discuss-maybe.html on a computer or wireless device and complete and submit the entry form pursuant to the on-screen instructions. Coming home tonight after a disappointing - and honestly confusing - visit to a local church gathering, I just felt really sad. And I thought about vegging out or having ten beers, but something told me to instead try sitting a minute with the feeling. Maybe I Don’t Belong Here is a harrowing read and one I’ll never forget, not least because in the wake of the race report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, a shared story is a lifeline for my people. Age Rating: The age rating for the Maybe series is Mature Adults aged 17 and over. That being said, we believe it will best be enjoyed by adults aged 20 to 40.