ENTERTAINMENT
Serena Williams Says Daughter Olympia Thinks Mom’s Kids’ Book Is About Her: ‘It’s Quite Funny’
The tennis star will release her first children’s book The Adventures of Qai Qai later this month
Serena Williams’s daughter loves her mom’s new children’s book — especially because she thinks it’s about her!
The tennis star, 40, appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday where she chatted about her children’s book The Adventures of Qai Qai, which comes out later this month.
Asked how her 5-year-old daughter Olympia likes the book, Williams shared that her little girl, whom she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian, believes the book is actually about her, and not her doll Qai Qai.
“Olympia thinks it’s her in the book. She thinks the mom is me and she thinks the dad is my husband,” she said with a laugh. “It’s quite funny because I’m like it’s not us … I don’t want it to go to her head.”
Sharing more about her first children’s book, Williams explained that the story includes “some really cool hidden messages about self-confidence” and goes “back to the art about being a kid.”
“Olympia thinks it’s her in the book and she thinks the mom is me and she thinks the dad is my husband … it’s not us … but I don’t want it to go to her head!”@serenawilliams reveals her daughter's adorable reaction to her new children's book, "The Adventures of Qai Qai" ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CljaObPFMu
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 14, 2022
“We can’t forget how important it is to use your imagination and play and also believe in yourself,” she added.
Williams first announced in December that she would be releasing her first kids’ book, illustrated by Yesenia Moises, with Invisible Universe, an entertainment technology company.
“Storytime is such an important pillar of our bedtime routine, like so many others around the world,” Williams said in a statement at the time about reading with her 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.”
After Williams and Ohanian gave the doll to their young daughter, the two became inseparable. The couple wanted to share Qai Qai’s fun antics with the world by creating her own Instagram account in August 2018, with the help of Invisible Universe, which brought the doll to life.
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 @nike makes a swimsuit for not just @olympiaohanian but @realqaiqai too,” the athlete captioned the photo.) Qai Qai is now an Internet celebrity and a beloved doll for thousands of children.
“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.”
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