Can You Imagine? - by Lisa Tolin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A biography of the life of avant-garde musician, activist, and artist Yoko Ono"--

Book Synopsis

A stunning picture book biography in lyrical, poignant prose about Yoko Ono--a brilliant musician and one of the creative minds behind the iconic song "Imagine" by John Lennon.

Yoko Ono has been called many things: Bold. Confrontational. Controversial. Artist. Musician. Witch.

But she has always been, first and foremost, Yoko: a girl who used her imagination to escape the horrors of World War II, and then a woman who used that same gift to find peace after an act of unfathomable violence.

This is a story of a singular soul: an artist, musician, and writer who has always innovated beyond the limits of the accepted, whose brilliance cannot be overshadowed, and whose imagination has been truly revolutionary.

Review Quotes

"Imamura's appropriately eclectic illustrations often suspend Ono in the midst of twirling ideas, emotions, and circumstances...Tolin centers her subject's own rich, sometimes polarizing, life advocating for peace, creativity, and individuality."--Horn Book Magazine

Imamura's appropriately eclectic illustrations often suspend Ono in the midst of twirling ideas, emotions, and circumstances...Tolin centers her subject's own rich, sometimes polarizing, life advocating for peace, creativity, and individuality.--Horn Book Magazine

★ "Yoko Ono is finally given her due as an artist in this picture book biography, brought to life by Imamura's beautiful and tonally perfect artwork...backmatter cements this as an excellent nonfiction piece." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"A fitting tribute to an artist who is both unrepentantly idealistic and unmistakably tough-minded."--Publishers Weekly

"Fresh, perceptive, and worthy of attention."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Tolin is a journalist and editor who has covered arts and entertainment, lifestyle, health, and breaking news for major news organizations. Her years as a journalist gave her the opportunity to interview Yoko Ono in her home. Lisa lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two sons. You can visit Lisa at LisaTolin.com.

Yas Imamura is an Asian American illustrator living in Portland, Oregon. Her works include collaborations with Anthropologie and Sanrio, as well as her growing list of children's books such as Can You Imagine? by Lisa Tolin and The Elevator on 74th Street by Laura Gehl. Her preferred materials are gouache and watercolor and she often finds herself drawn to projects that are playful, mysterious, and a little offbeat.