Gov. Gavin Newsom goes on book tour amid massive crime wave in California

Newsom traveled to New York for the release date of his new book, "Ben & Emma's Big Hit," published by Philomel Books, according to Fox News.

The children's book tells the story of a kid named Ben, who loves baseball and has dyslexia. He uses his love of the sport to better understand reading and cope with his learning disability, with the help of a teacher and a friend.

The book is based off Newsom's childhood diagnosis of dyslexia.

"It doesn't go away. I'm dealing with this every day," Newsom said in an interview with The Associated Press. "So many folks (with dyslexia) do give up, and that has tragic consequences. And others that don't (give up) start to discover that this is the greatest gift in their life and they can't imagine a life without it. That's really been my experience."

Newsom's travels though come as the state struggles to get a handle on a skyrocketing crime wave.

Newsom has told mayors to "step up" and hold criminals accountable, as a series of smash-and-grab robberies increased in November, with one Oakland robbery turning tragic, killing Kevin Nishita, a retired police officer working as security guard for a news crew covering the robberies.

"If people are breaking in, people stealing your property, they need to be arrested. Police need to arrest them. Prosecutors need to prosecute them. Judges need to hold people accountable for breaking the law," Newsom said last week. "These are not victimless crimes, and I have no empathy for these criminal elements."