New Format!: Re-sized and re-issued as a 9x10 POB picture book, BEING YOU is now perfect for larger group read-alouds and better suited for wider audiences.

Expert Authors: Jessica Ralli, educator and coordinator of Early Literacy Programs at the Brooklyn Public Library, and Dr. Megan Madison, early childhood educator facilitating workshops for teachers on race, gender, and sexuality, bring credentials, experience, and authentic authority to this instrumental board book series.

Supports Empathy: Parents of young children are eager to support their child’s development of empathy, self-esteem, and resilience, which begins with the very topics explored in this series.

Supportive Messaging: These topics are challenging—we get it! The authors’ supportive approach, from their note to adults in the beginning all the way through to the backmatter, is inclusive, warm, and effective.

Jessica Ralli is the Coordinator of Early Literacy Programs at Brooklyn Public Library, where she develops and manages programming for BPL’s award-winning First Five Years initiative. She received her MA in Early Childhood Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and previously taught in schools, childcare centers, and museums. She has written about early literacy and library services for young children in School Library Journal (where she co-authors the “First Steps” column with Rachel G. Payne) and has presented on play-based learning at the American Library Association Conference, Young Child Expo, and the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature.

Megan Pamela Ruth Madison is a lifelong student of radical Black feminism and an early childhood educator. She holds an MS in early childhood education from Dominican University and a BA in studies in religion from the University of Michigan. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy. When she’s not working on finishing up her dissertation, she works as a trainer for the Center for Racial Justice in Education, the Human Root, and the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, facilitating workshops for teachers on race, gender, and sexuality.

Isabel Roxas is an author/illustrator, micro-publisher, ceramicist, and avid reader. She was born in Manila, Philippines, and was raised on luscious mangoes, old wives' tales, and monsoon moons. She now works in the backroom of an art gallery in Manhattan, where she writes and illustrates stories, designs books, and creates small objects in clay and resin. Her illustrator credits include picture books Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (2018 Newbery medal winner), Let Me Finish! by Minh Lê (named an NPR Best Book of 2016), and Day at the Market by May Tobias-Papa (2010 winner of the Philippine National Book Award). Isabel is the founder of Little Big Time Press, where she publishes artist books and zines for children. 

“Affirmative consent, bodily autonomy, and correct vocabulary for body parts and more are all addressed in the frank, easy-to-understand text.”—Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“A thoughtful and inclusive approach to discussing consent both for young children and their grownups.”—Rise: A Feminist Book Project (Top Ten Book Pick, ALA RISE, 2023)