What if one small act of caring had the power to transform the world around you? What if that act came from you? New York Times bestselling author Kobi Yamada and acclaimed illustrator Elise Hurst have teamed up to honor the quiet power of showing up and the beauty of wholehearted effort in their new children’s book Caring.
The third book in their Mentor Series—which also includes Trying and Noticing—this enchanting tale follows a young boy as he learns from a devoted gardener, someone who turned a once desolate plot of land into a lush, thriving haven. With each turn of the page, readers of all ages are reminded of what’s possible when we’re brave enough to believe that what we do matters—and are willing to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
We asked Kobi and Elise to share about this third collaboration.
May 30, 2025
Kimberly
The Heart Behind Caring: A Conversation with Kobi Yamada and Elise Hurst
Let’s start with the artwork. Elise, you’ve created so many intriguing layers in the imagery in this book as the landscape of the story evolves before our eyes. Are there any details you hope people will notice?
ELISE: There are a few fun little story elements that I have snuck into the art. Early on, we see the gardener as a young woman standing in the gray and broken landscape for the first time. There is a tree in the foreground, leaning and wrecked. Later in the book we see her construct a brace to help it stay up. Toward the end of the book, the tree is huge and mighty and home to many creatures and at its base we can still see the stand she made all those years ago. It is a nice visual metaphor that even small actions can have a huge and lasting impact.
Your art truly illuminates the transformative power of caring. Can you share how the message of this book spoke to you personally?
ELISE: It is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the problems of our world, and to think that it is someone else’s job to fix them. I’ve realized that when I think like that, I stop looking around at what I can do—even if it is just a small thing. I have children of my own and, while I worry about what the future will hold for them, I also want to show them that we are not powerless.
What was your favorite part of the creative process?
ELISE: I loved researching this book. I visited gardens and went through old travel photographs. I collected pictures from all sorts of places and acted out many of the scenes myself to take reference photos. I like the idea that this garden contains elements that could be from many parts of the world. So, early on, a big part of the process was to just let my imagination fly and spend time sketching fun and dramatic landscapes.
Caring is the third book in The Mentor Series. Kobi, can you share a bit about the inspiration behind the series?
KOBI: I think of these three books as a series of conversations. In every book they feature an older, accomplished mentor and a young person just beginning their journey of discovering their talents.
Too often we shortsightedly judge and measure ourselves against people of tremendous experience and skill. This can be hard on our confidence and our development. We don’t take into account the tremendous time and dedication it requires to get better at something.
We all can benefit from having mentors. A person who has additional experience or perspective in an area in which we want to grow can be inspiring and informative. If we are so lucky to have a mentor in our lives, it can be a very powerful catalyst to help us become more resilient and capable learners.
Too often we shortsightedly judge and measure ourselves against people of tremendous experience and skill. This can be hard on our confidence and our development. We don’t take into account the tremendous time and dedication it requires to get better at something.
We all can benefit from having mentors. A person who has additional experience or perspective in an area in which we want to grow can be inspiring and informative. If we are so lucky to have a mentor in our lives, it can be a very powerful catalyst to help us become more resilient and capable learners.
What does Caring bring to the message of the series?
KOBI: Much like the previous books in the series, Trying
and Noticing, Caring is also a story between someone curious who is just starting out and an older, wiser mentor who has years of experience. Caring
is a bit different, though, in that it focuses on legacy and the accumulation and impact of years of service and dedication and how that can shape the world around us.
And how does the message resonate with you?
KOBI: Caring is a book that is close to my heart. I, too, look at the world at times and worry about its problems and challenges. But I also know that each person matters, and that when we care and work, we can have a tremendous impact. One of my favorite spreads is when our gardener is looking back at her life and seeing a devastated landscape, but instead of walking away, she decides she will be the person to help. Life is full of moments like that, and it is tremendously inspiring and impactful when even one person decides to make a difference.
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Celebrate the power we each have to make a difference with Caring today.
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Celebrate the power we each have to make a difference with Caring today.
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