Encourage kids to practice self-love every day with this uplifting collection of positive affirmations and companion to Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds’s bestselling I Am series.
WHO I AM
Words I Tell Myself
by Susan Verde
illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Abrams BYR, September 2023
When the unkind voice gets loud and I feel down, I can tell myself:
I am enough. In this world, I matter.
We all have rough days: tough times when we feel down and an unkind voice in our mind can make us feel disappointed in ourselves. But we can talk back to that unkind voice; we can find the voice that will lift us up instead. We can tell ourselves words that are positive, supportive, and true.
From the New York Times bestselling team of Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds comes a heartfelt collection of positive affirmations: the perfect tool to complement and expand upon their beloved I Am series. A celebration of self-love and owning all the things that make us special, WHO I AM: WORDS I TELL MYSELF helps us to affirm that we are human, we are enough, and we are deserving of all kinds of love—especially our own.
Susan Verde is the bestselling author of I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Human, I Am Love, I Am One, and The Museum, all illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, as well as the Feel-Good Fairy Tales books, illustrated by Jay Fleck, and Rock ’n’ Roll Soul, illustrated by Matthew Cordell. She teaches yoga and mindfulness to children and lives with her three children in East Hampton, New York.
Peter H. Reynolds is the illustrator of many bestselling and award-winning picture books, including The Dot, Ish, I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Human, I Am Love, I Am One, I Am Courage, and I Am Me. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, where he operates the beloved shop Blue Bunny Books and Toys.

Soren, a young humpback whale, loves music, but is tired of the dull, droning, endless songs that are frustratingly popular among the adult whales he knows. He has ideas for better songs: shorter, up-tempo tunes with snare drums and even maracas. Unfortunately, every time he shares his new tunes with his friends, he’s met with less than encouraging feedback and even a bit of discreet whale vomiting. In this upbeat story of resilience and tenacity, Dave Eggers offers readers of all ages essential creative advice: your first drafts are probably terrible.
To Manolo the world is a magical place—a place where he searches for the most magical creature of all: a unicorn. Manolo loves unicorns. When the Wild Animal Parade is announced at school, and Manolo declares that he will come as his favorite animal, his classmates say there is no such thing as unicorns, making the world feel ordinary. That is, until Manolo meets a real unicorn—wild and graceful—and discovers that the world is truly extraordinary.
It is March in the cold North. The long–gone sun is rising. Silvery ice glitters. Snow sparkles in the hazy glow. Two polar bears stand at ice edge: mother and cub. A mother polar bear and her cub are busy searching for food, when suddenly, the ice they stand on breaks away— crack! Cut adrift, her cub is out of reach as the treacherous sea begins to carry him away. In she dives! Can they return to land safely?
Are you ready to meet the world’s crankiest book?