A picture book about self-esteem, inner beauty and making a difference from celebrated author, festival organizer and diversity advocate Jael Richardson

Conceived of as a letter to her younger self, Because You Are captures Jael Richardson's insightful lessons about growing up, being joyful and loving yourself as a young Black girl. By exploring what inner beauty means, this story inspires children to recognize and build their self-worth, to dream big and to make a difference in the world. These lessons are brought to life on the page with lively and tender illustrations by Nneka Myers (From HarperCollins Canada).

Jael Richardson is an author, the founder and the artistic director of the Festival for Literary Diversity (FOLD) and the books columnist for Q on CBC Radio.

In addition to writing Because You Are, she is also the author of the nonfiction book The Stone Thrower, which was adapted into a picture book of the same name. Her debut novel, Gutter Child, was published in 2021 and was a finalist for the 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award