imagine. grow. become.

Dear Friend,

If you’ve found your way here, chances are you care deeply about a child. Maybe you’re a parent trying to raise someone confident in a world that seems to measure everything. Maybe you’re a teacher looking for meaningful children’s books that support social emotional learning in a way that feels natural and honest. Maybe you’re a grandparent who simply wants to place a story in a child’s hands that will stay with them long after the last page is turned.

Wherever you’re coming from, I’m grateful you’re here.

I wrote The Power of Being You because I began noticing something that troubled me. Children were starting to question themselves earlier than they should. I would see that subtle shift when a child looks sideways and quietly decides someone else is more magical, more capable, more impressive. I would hear the small voice that says, “I wish I were different.”

And I wanted to write a children’s book about confidence and identity that did not lecture kids about being themselves, but instead helped them discover why they already matter.

In this story, you’ll meet Harkyn (HAR-kin), a strong and steady horse who doesn’t yet see that his grounded strength is powerful. You’ll meet Ubon (oo-BON), a unicorn who quietly doubts the magic she already carries. You’ll meet Payam (pie-yum), a pegasus who longs to soar higher and brighter than he believes he can. And guiding them is Adornia (uh-DOR-nee-uh), whose wisdom isn’t about showing off her own magic, but about helping others recognize theirs.

Their journey unfolds in different places depending on the story, but what they’re really traveling through is identity. Like many children, they begin by comparing themselves to someone who seems more extraordinary. Research tells us that children begin forming self concept in early elementary years. They notice who reads faster, who runs faster, who seems to shine a little brighter. That noticing can quietly turn into comparison, and comparison can quietly turn into self doubt.

Stories shape how children interpret those moments.

When Harkyn pulls the heavy cart that no one else can move, children see that strength doesn’t have to sparkle to matter. When Ubon releases apples from the tree with her magic, they see that creativity and imagination have their own power. When Payam zooms through gray clouds and clears the sky, they understand that the gift that feels misplaced in one moment may be exactly what is needed in another.

None of them transform into something new. They simply see more clearly who they already are.

That matters deeply to me.

There are many kids books about self confidence and growth mindset, and those themes are important. But true confidence doesn’t grow from being told you’re special. It grows from understanding your strengths in context. It grows from recognizing that someone else’s gift does not diminish your own. It grows from knowing that worth is not something you earn by outperforming others.

As a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you’ve probably heard children say, “I’m not as good as them,” or “I wish I could do that.” I’ve heard it too. And I’ve learned that those moments don’t need quick correction. They need steady conversation. A story creates space for that conversation. Instead of saying, “Don’t feel that way,” you can say, “Why do you think Harkyn felt that way?” and watch what opens up.

I write stories that support social emotional learning not by preaching, but by inviting reflection. When children recognize themselves in characters, they rehearse growth safely. They see that insecurity is human. They see that collaboration matters. They see that resilience is not about never struggling, but about responding to struggle without losing sight of who you are.

If you’re an educator, you already know how important identity is in the classroom. Academic growth matters, but emotional growth shapes how children approach everything else. When students read stories about friendship, belonging, and self discovery, something shifts in the room. They begin to see one another differently. They begin to speak about themselves differently.

If you’re a parent or grandparent, I hope this book becomes part of your quiet moments together. I hope you pause when a character doubts themselves. I hope you ask gentle questions. I hope you return to the story more than once. Research shows that repeated exposure to affirming narratives strengthens how children see themselves. The stories they hear become the stories they tell themselves.

More than anything, I hope children close this book feeling steadier.

Not because they’ve been told they are perfect, but because they understand that they do not need to become someone else to matter.

That is the heart of The Power of Being You.

Thank you for caring enough to look for meaningful children’s books about identity, confidence, and growth. Thank you for raising, teaching, and loving children in a world that can be noisy and comparative. And thank you for taking the time to imagine, to grow, and to become right alongside them.

cheers! joe 🦄🪄💪🏽

great stories take us to new places that we never thought in our wildest imagination we could travel. i hope you enjoy some regular ramblings about how and why.