The 19-year-old Japanese American author is a climbing phenomenon who started entering elite competitions at age eight, and has broken bouldering (free climbing) records from the time she was ten, making climbs most adults can't accomplish. In her own voice she tells us that boulders are called "problems." She goes on to describe how she solves one particular problem, visualizing each section as concrete imagery. And she also reflects on what she learns from each failure (fall). The cartoon-style illustrations tackle the challenge of depicting visual thinking in an unusual narrative that serves as a great metaphor for other kinds of problem-solving and perseverance. (Ages 7-10)

From Ashima Shiraishi, one of the world's youngest and most skilled climbers, comes a true story of strength and perseverance--in rock climbing and in life.

To a rock climber, a boulder is called a "problem," and you solve it by climbing to the top. There are twists and turns, falls and scrapes, and obstacles that seem insurmountable until you learn to see the possibilities within them. And then there is the moment of triumph, when there's nothing above you but sky and nothing below but a goal achieved.

Ashima Shiraishi draws on her experience as a world-class climber in this story that challenges readers to tackle the problems in their own lives and rise to greater heights than they would have ever thought possible.