As a kid, Keonté Beals says he wished he could have opened a book and seen himself in it, so he tackled the project himself.
“This (book) is probably my favourite to date,” says Beals.
Beals says he wants to inspire youth with I Am So Worthy to show them self-worth and how to chase their dreams.
“I’m sure it means a lot to them. They make me feel that (it does),” says Beals.
I Am So Worthy takes place at Carters Beach in Nova Scotia, which he says is his favourite.
“All the illustrations just kind of tell the story alone,” he says.
There are a bunch of different children in the illustrations, he says, and some returning characters from other books.
His other books include:
- I Am King
- I Am Perfectly Me
- We Are Family: The Colouring Book
They all share a similar theme, like self-identification, self-love, self-worth, says Beals.
He shares the same message with kids when he visits schools on his book tour.
“We do a lot of storytelling, of course. We read the books live. I do a lot of music, so I sing and perform for the kids,” he says.
“We have a lot of fun. They like to dance and sing along to some of the familiar songs, but we also teach them about, of course, self-love and what it means to follow your dreams.”
Beals had a full-circle moment when he stopped at his own former school, Nelson Whynder Elementary, in North Preston, N.S.
“To get them at this age, it means the world, and to tell them, know their gifts and what they desire is everything they can have is pretty incredible,” he says.
“It feels like the steps I’m walking right now is exactly what I was supposed to be here for.”
