Grandparents are the greatest! They make you treats, give you presents, and spoil you. But have you ever heard of a grandma that flips. Well meet Mrs. Yonce Daniels the Flipping Ya-Ya. I know you’re thinking, “Why is she called a Flipping YaYa?”
My Flipping YaYa by Yonce Daniels is told through the eyes of a little girl name Zuri. Zuri’s grandmother (Yaya) is a great flipper. Yaya tumbles, flips, teaches Zuri how to swing on bars, and how to walk on balance beams. I enjoyed reading this book because it is different from the normal books about grandmothers. Zuri wants to do everything her Yaya does even if it takes her a while to catch up. Yaya not only shows Zuri her style, but she also encourages her to never give up.
I also enjoyed this book because the daughter of Daniels is the amazing illustrator. Artist Daryl Myntia Daniels has amazing drawings in this book. I think her art has its on way of being dramatic and I love it! It adds a great touch to My Flipping YaYa, the daughter-mother collaboration is a big plus for me too! Please check out her Facebook page and her other great pieces!
I am so happy that Mrs. Yonce Daniels took out the time to answer a few questions for Miss T’s Book Room. It means a lot!
A little about myself
I'm 53 and I have a love for gymnastics. I was introduced to the sport at the age of 5. I received a full ride gymnastics scholarship to the University of Iowa, performed professionally with Olympian Kurt Thomas for 5 years. Opened the first African American female owned gymnastics school training preschool through elite level gymnast. I will be celebrating 32 years of marriage in October. I have two children, my daughter is the illustrator and an artist in NYC where she received her MFA, and my son is giving me my first Yaya baby. He is also a council man and football coach for a local high school.
My Favorite book as a child was
The secret language. This book was about a girl who was in a boarding school, she was a bit stand - offish. She developed a language all of her own. That she used to describe certain people , situations
This book was a great read for me, For some odd reason I connected with the main character. Even though our lives where nothing a like. I remember thinking as a child how cool it would be to say something out loud and no one having a clue what you were talking about or what it meant or even who it was directed to.
What made me want to write a children's book
I work with young people everyday, sharing my love of gymnastics and when I found out I was having a grandchild, I became very excited! Both of my children lived my life as a performer and coach and I wanted to make sure my grandchild knew me in the same way. This book was a mother/ daughter collaboration and it is the first African American children's book about a flipping grandmother and her grand child. My daughter is an amazing artist and knows the sport of gymnastics like the back of her hand. I knew she would be able to capture exactly, what I envisioned each page of the book to be.
My future plans
I recently finished the second book. We are going to do a series of 4-5 books. In the second book, Zuri learns to do a skill by herself and she is quite proud of herself.
The most surprising thing I learned about creating this book/ project
was how fast the process went. The opportunities that have come from writing this book. I'm doing a TV show called Issues. They will interview me about the book and my life. I have several schools lined up that I will be visiting this year to read the book and do gymnastics demonstration for. The book is currently being showcased internationally with my publisher and I am being interviewed by you. All around this book has been a blessing on so many levels. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new and I am glad I did.
The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Xlibris. If anyone wants a signed copy. They can contact me at aqua47.yd@gmail.com and I will ship them a copy. They can purchase it through PayPal.
Website :
My flipping Yaya.com
Follow me on Facebook and Instagram
My Flipping Yaya
You can also follow my gymnastics team and see me in action on Mason Gymnastics Twisters.
Thank you, for taking time to reach out and hear my story.
