Skating Into a Child s Wonderland: Kristi Yamaguchi

After a gold medal-winning success as a figure skater, Kristi Yamaguchi found success again as a children’s book author.

In this 2012 interview Kristi talks about her book It’s a Big World, Little Pig.
Get your copy of It's a Big World, Little Pig by Kristi YamaguchiAs an Amazon Associate, Now I've Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases.

You may also enjoy my interviews with Molly Shannon and Berke Breathed

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Photo by Sebaceousother

#Children's book # Olympics # skating # childhood

years. It's like, I can't be that old
yet, really. I was just a toddler at the
Olympics. Figure skating champion and
children's book author Christy Yamaguchi today.
And now I've heard everything. I'm Bill Thompson.

(00:25):
Do you remember the 1992 Winter Olympics?
Well, that was the year that 21 year old figure skater Kristi
Yamaguchi became the first AsianAmerican to come home with a
gold medal from the Winter Games.
Of course, was a career highlight of hers, but after she
retired from amateur competition, she racked up
several more championships over the next few years.

(00:48):
Now Fast forward a bit to 2011. She's marriage has a child and
that's the year that Kristi Yamaguchi comes out with her
first children's book called Dream Big Little Pig.
The main character is named Poppy and Poppy dreams big and
ultimately find success as a as a figure skater.

(01:08):
What do you know the book with the New York Times bestseller
and it inspired a sequel in 2012called It's a Big World, Little
pig. I met Christy when she was on a
book tour to promote that particular title.
We met one afternoon just beforeshe gave a talk at a crowded
Washington, DC area bookstore. In just a moment, our

(01:29):
conversation. No, Sherman, this isn't the way
back machine, but it is a look back at an interview from the 30
year archive of national radio personality Bill Thompson.
Enjoy. So here now from 2012, Kristi
Yamaguchi. Is this Poppy's first trip

(01:50):
abroad? It is Poppy's first trip abroad,
so you know, there's some jitters and some anxiety there,
but she has a lot of support from friends and family and a
good attitude so she she's able to make some new friends on this
new trip. Is that the hardest part of of a
trip like this? Is the idea that, all right,

(02:12):
going to Paris, that's wonderfulskating, piece of cake.
But the whole meeting, people not sure what it's going to be
like. Are they going to be like me?
Will they like me? Is that the hard part?
Well, I think that's the hard part.
Anywhere you go, whether it's, you know, starting school or,
you know, moving to a new town. I mean, especially meeting
different athletes. I mean, it's pulled from

(02:34):
experience. You know, when I was 14, I had
my first international experience at a competition, and
I was just excited. I mean, I was nervous too, but
excited to meet kids from other countries and learn different
languages and, you know, kind ofbe introduced to their customs
and share mine. So, you know, it's such a
positive and fun impressionable experience.

(02:55):
So that I think that's why I chose that theme for this book.
Well, even to a rising kindergartner who has only had a
nursery school experience up till now, now they're about to
enter this big new world of kindergarten.
It can be kind of frightening inthe same sort of way.
Yes. I mean, you're definitely
entering a different group of friends.
And you know, my daughter did that this year.
So it is. It's all about, you know, a

(03:19):
smile opening the door to new friendships, being open to
people's differences and, you know, in finding common things
that link you to link you together.
So yeah, I mean, it's it's a great lesson and hopefully kids
will kind of get it. It was was the general theme of
the book drawn at all from your own experience your your

(03:40):
daughter's experience. I mean, it was how much of this
is real life? Well, it's I mean, obviously
Poppy's a a made-up character and she's her own personality.
But you know, I mean, it's I drawn personal experience for
sure, and you know, artistic license and kind of just take it
from there. But for sure, there's, you know,
this experience is personal and something that I thought was

(04:05):
good to share. Well, I couldn't help notice.
Poppy is a skater and you are a skater.
Coincidence. I don't think so.
No, I mean, of course, I mean the through skating, I think
she's able to face a lot of different challenges and learn a
lot of lessons, life lessons like I have.
So, you know, it's just my vehicle I guess, and why not

(04:26):
stick to something I know? Yeah, they tell writers write
about what you know. Well, here you go.
Yeah, but. Now let's talk for a moment
about your illustrator, Tim Bowers, a wonderful illustrator.
It's important to get a good illustrator to be so that you're
on the same wavelength, so it's both picturing the same thing
the same way, isn't? It absolutely.
And I feel so fortunate that Tim, Tim and I have worked so

(04:48):
well together. Source books actually teamed us
up. And so that's how I was
introduced to Tim and he submitted some samples of Poppy
and it was just like there she is.
You know, his first samples. It was just like there it is
like it was her. So it was fun to see, you know,

(05:09):
her personality come to life in the first book.
And with this, it's a it's a bigworld little pig.
It was fun because I got to really collaborate with Tim on
the scenery and the costumes andthe outfits and certain details
here and there. So, you know, I feel fortunate
because I know that's not alwaysthe case.

(05:30):
But also, I'm guessing Poppy looks, Paris looks different
through Poppy's eyes than Paris might look to a television
audience or to a Parisian. And it takes somebody like Tim
who can capture that, too. Yes, definitely.
And you know, it's not just Paris, but it's an international
games feel too. And I don't, I'm not sure if

(05:50):
Tim's ever been to, you know, aninternational event like the
Olympics or, you know, somethinglike that.
But it was really trying to capture that as well in these
pages. And he did.
After this short break, Kristi Yamaguchi talks about seeing
herself on video from all those years ago.
You know, AI is not just for 22 year old coders.

(06:14):
A lot of us older adults are drawing on our life experience
to find unique and creative waysto use AI at home or at work.
Got an AI success story you'd like to share?
Tap the link below to visit our YouTube channel, AI After 40 and
Let's keep learning together. Now back to my 2012 conversation

(06:38):
with Kristi Yamaguchi. Now, this is the second of the
series, is that right? So I'm guessing there's could be
several more. I don't know, we'll see.
I mean, just I was happy and surprised to have a second one.
So you know, obviously I'm concentrating on that right now.
I have ideas for more, but we'llsee it's.
Interesting. This doesn't have the feel of
Gee, I'm A Celebrity, I'm going to write a children's book.

(07:00):
This has the feel of somebody who really has given it a lot of
thought. That's a very carefully done
book and it's a very well received book.
I mean this there should be a series.
Well, it'd be fun. I mean, I love Poppy.
My family loves Poppy. And, you know, I think she,
there's some fun qualities abouther.
Do you feel about her the same way that you would feel about
your child? Kind of, I mean, she's

(07:21):
definitely, you know, something that a lot of heart and soul
went into and, you know, they'vebeen a labor of love.
So we'll see. I mean, I've been talking a lot
about her the last couple years,so.
Let me ask you to, as they used to say all those essay
questions, compare and contrast.Compare and contrast, if you

(07:41):
will, that the satisfaction you get from training for months and
years and then performing in theOlympics and doing well versus
planning and writing for severalmonths and then a book comes
out. It's a different kind of
audience. It's a, it's a different kind of
response. How does it rate on the
satisfaction scale? Still pretty satisfying, but it

(08:02):
is different. I mean, the, the skating it is,
you know, months and months and years training, you know, on
your own and then you have your few minutes of glory at the
competition. But you know, it's pretty
intense and it's, you know, obviously the Olympics changed
my life. You know, with the writing, the
books, the especially the first one, I didn't know what was

(08:22):
going to happen. I mean, first of all, I didn't
even know if I it would get published and like resource
books came on board and, you know, it was fun to introduce it
to people and I was surprised and delighted to see how well
received it was. So, you know, the second one I
was a little more anxious about.I knew, you know, Poppy was
known and she had a personality and, you know, I had to, I live

(08:48):
up to the first book. I, I suppose.
So, you know, I, you know, I'm still a little nervous, you
know, it's still new out there. But you know, I'm proud of it
too. You know, you got a lot of moms
and dads and kids out here waiting for you today.
The kids, your target audience, they have no memory of skating.
They have no memory of you on television.
You know all the glory. They just know that this is a

(09:09):
great book that they enjoy. Does that, How does that feel to
you that they that they don't know you had another life?
It's great. I mean, it's, it's, it's fun and
that's why I do it. I mean, I, my kids were my own
inspiration to write the books. And, you know, I've learned how
important literacy is and how important it is to encourage

(09:29):
kids at a young age to be comfortable with books, to love
books to, you know, get interested in reading.
So, so it's fun. I mean, it's definitely coming
to readings and going to schoolsand seeing the reactions of the
kids is really the number one thing.
Does it feel like a lifetime agoto you?
I mean, I have to be honest. I mean, to me, it seems like

(09:52):
just yesterday. But then somebody reminded me,
Bill, that was 1992, I think. Holy cow.
I know 20 years, I mean it definitely was a lifetime ago.
I feel like it's been 10 years, maybe that's.
What I thought 10. Years ago, 20 years.
It's like I can't be that old yet, really.
I was just a toddler at the Olympics.
So you. Look back at those films of

(10:14):
video and say, Oh my gosh, that was me.
You know, I mean, it's hard not to.
Be like. Wow, I.
Could have actually skate back then, that's pretty good.
You know, it's fun. I mean, you, you, when you're
living it, you're just so intense and into the moment and
critical for yourself and everything.
And once you step back and you can no longer skate like that,
it's like. Oh.

(10:35):
It's fun to see. So I'm guessing Poppy kind of
has to discover that she's pretty good too.
Yeah. I mean, I think she's enjoying
it. And I think the important thing
to her and the message is that she loves what she's doing.
So she puts everything she has into it.
And so that's the important thing.
It's not necessarily the result.But it's all.

(10:58):
About, you know, what she gets at it of it personally.
Kristi Yamaguchi is 54 now. Last year, Mattel actually came
out with a Kristi Yamaguchi Barbie doll.
Now you can get your copy of It's a Big World Little Pig by
Kristi Yamaguchi by tapping the link in our show notes by
clicking the link below. If you're watching this on
YouTube or by going to our website heardeverything.com, we

(11:22):
may earn an Amazon Commission ifyou make a purchase.
Heard everything.com is where you can also find my interview
with two other children's book authors who were first known for
something else, a 2011 conversation with Saturday Night
Live's Molly. Shannon Always when I was doing
Saturday Night Live, like if I did Sally O'Malley and I was
like, ladies and gentlemen, I like to kick, stretch and kick.

(11:43):
We tend to think of comedy like rhythm, like good.
It has like a timing to it, almost musical.
And my 2007 conversation with cartoonist Burke Breffin.
I couldn't quite leave all the controversy of my cartooning
days behind. I thought if I went into
children's books, I I wouldn't be running on that ragged edge.
And sure enough, I it's like I can't avoid it.
It's I've always got to be pushing the envelope a bit.

(12:03):
And of course, we post new episodes of Now I've Heard
Everything every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you
can find us wherever you find podcasts.
And thank you so much for listening next time on NOW I've
Heard Everything, My conversation with a world famous
musician whose life could have turned out so very differently
if not for one song he heard on the Radio One night.

(12:25):
My 1999 conversation with the great Barry White.
One thing my mother used to drill in our heads was make sure
you are able to get along with others.
Make sure you're able to respectother people.
I think I've cared that all through my life.
That's next time on NOW. I've heard everything.
I'm Bill Thompson.