Maya Makes Waves (a Picture Book)

Maya Makes Waves is a conservation-themed picture book about appreciating and protecting our oceans, by professional big wave surfer and UNESCO Champion of the Ocean and Youth, Maya Gabeira

There is nowhere Maya feels more happy and at home than in the sea. The water washes her worries away; there are countless wonders to experience and creatures to learn from. The dolphins show her how to be a stronger swimmer, the sea turtles make her feel calm, and the humpback whale inspires her to be mighty. But when Maya starts to notice plastic pollution and coral destruction, she realizes that her ocean home is in danger--and it’s up to her to take action. Professional surfer Maya Gabeira, known for surfing Guinness World Record-breaking big waves, shares a story--inspired by her own life--of finding the courage to speak up for the ocean. Beautifully illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, Maya Makes Waves is both a celebration of our big blue world, and a call to protect and restore it.

Maya Gabeira is a Brazilian big-wave surfer best known for setting the 2018 Guinness World Record for biggest wave ever surfed by a woman and then breaking her own record in 2020 with a wave of 73.5 feet, the biggest surfed by anyone--male or female--that year. As an ESPY Award winner and seven-time Red Bull World Surf League Big Wave Awards winner, Gabeira is one of the most influential surfers of all time. Named a UNESCO Champion of the Ocean and Youth, she is also passionately committed to and a fierce advocate for restoring the world’s oceans. She is the author of the picture book Maya and the Beast, and she lives in Nazaré, Portugal. Ramona Kaulitzki is the illustrator of Maya and the Beast and the #1 New York Times bestseller Sisters First, as well as Wonderful You, Badger’s Perfect Garden, and several other books. She lives in Germany, and her love for animals and nature is a major inspiration for her work.