Mountain View Teacher Releases Basketball Children's Book
Local educator Mickey Lai and illustrator Natalie Woo debut a new picture book featuring Asian American youth basketball.
Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in Basketball
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Mountain View High School teacher Mickey Lai and Google illustrator Natalie Woo have collaborated on a children's book titled 'The ABC's of Basketball.' The book uses an alphabetical structure to teach basketball fundamentals alongside important life lessons like sportsmanship and teamwork.
Why it matters
The creators aimed to provide positive representation of Asian American children as athletes while teaching young readers how to handle mistakes. By pairing sports concepts with character development, they hope to encourage both physical activity and personal growth.
The upcoming book is scheduled for release in late November or December 2026. It features original digital artwork created using the Procreate software program.
The players
Mickey Lai
Mickey Lai is a special education teacher and basketball coach at Mountain View High School who also grew up in Sunnyvale.
Natalie Woo
Natalie Woo is a professional illustrator who works at Google and previously illustrated the book 'Cathedral Cat' for a San Francisco project.
The details
The creative process involved developing pencil sketch storyboards before transitioning to digital coloring. The pair, who previously met through basketball lessons, collaborated extensively to ensure the characters and representation reflected their vision.
Timeline
The book is expected to be available for purchase in late November or December 2026.
Season Trajectory
The production of 'The ABC's of Basketball' utilizing the digital illustration program Procreate demonstrates a shift in how educational materials are developed by non-professional publishing teams. This trend highlights the growing accessibility of high-quality digital design tools for localized community projects.
Local families and physical education programs in the area can expect to see the authors hosting events at basketball gyms and visiting elementary school classes following the launch. The project provides a new resource for teaching youth sports basics during early development phases.
The takeaway
This collaboration highlights the potential for local educators to blend traditional coaching with new media to reach young students. Readers interested in youth development can look for the book's debut later this year to supplement basketball lessons at home.
Further reading
For more on local sports culture, explore our Basketball coverage.
More information
To join the list for updates, visit the book release waitlist and information.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Redwood City Pulse.
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