STEPHEN TAKO
AUTHOR, ANTI-BULLYING ADVOCATE, & MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Tako is a motivational speaker and anti-bullying advocate. As the host of his video talk show “Tako Talk”, Stephen has interviewed guests who shared inspirational stories to inspire adults and children who have been negatively impacted by bullying and to increase their self-esteem.
Author of the book “Motivated To Act”, Stephen teaches individuals to live lives more rewarding and to heal from past negative experiences. “Motivated to Act” helps people find the ‘Motivation’ to ‘Act’ upon their true dreams and passions in life.
One of Stephen’s most ambitious projects is the development of a book series based on his character Junga the Dancing Yeti®. This fictional character has been compared to Rudolph and Dumbo as a favorite children’s storybook. He is working with educators to provide virtual and live presentations to primary school assemblies to motivate and assist children to overcome bullying and other forms of neglect.
Stephen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. As a SAG-AFTRA union member, he has acted in films, television, and commercials including suicide prevention and anti-bullying public service announcements. Stephen also hosts the Los Angeles Movie Awards, NYLA International Film Festival and the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Junga Yeti series of books teaches children relevant lessons about acceptance, bravery, doing the right thing, finding the good in others, having a positive self-image, courage, and overcoming bullying. With a great cast of characters, children will enjoy reading the stories over and over as Junga faces challenges and learns valuable life lessons.
When a young yeti boy and his grandma go on a journey to find a safe place to live for the winter, the locals of the new mountain discriminate and treat them harshly. Junga has to learn to be brave and convince his captors that he and Grandma mean no harm to them and hope that he can be reunited with his grandma. Children learn the importance of accepting others who may look different from them and that it is not right to discriminate in this first release from the series. Future books include other anti-bullying topics in which children learn valuable and relevant lessons in an easy to understand story format with beautiful illustrations and lovable characters.