Justice Sonia Sotomayor to Release New Children's BookJust Shine!About Being Yourself (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Just Shine!'; and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.Photo:Penguin Young Readers; The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Penguin Young Readers; The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Slated for release on Sept. 9,Just Shine! How to Be a Better You(Philomel Books) is a new collaboration between Sotomayor, 70, who wrote the story, and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara.

Taking inspiration from Báez’s “ability to help people recognize their own brilliance,” per the publisher, the inspirational picture book “tells the story of a little girl from Puerto Rico who had the incredible ability to see the unique qualities of others and help them shine their brightest. She listened, she understood, she worked hard and she brought out the beauty in each person she met.”

The aim of the book is to show “how helping others shine makes the whole world brighter,” the publisher added.

Cover for ‘Just Shine! How to Be a Better You’.Penguin Young Readers

Penguin Young Readers

“I attribute my success to my mother and all she taught me about being a good person and treating others with respect and care,” Sotomayor said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

She added, “Just Shine! How to be a Better Youis the story of those lessons from my mother. I hope the children who read my book will enjoy learning about the simple ways we can help our friends shine and make the world a better place for us all.”

Jill Santopolo, the vice president and publisher of Philomel, also said thatJust Shine!“celebrates Sonia’s mother’s remarkable spirit of generosity and reminds all readers, young and old, that there is no better gift you can give to someone than seeing them for who they are and supporting them wholeheartedly.”

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

Reflecting on her favorite memories of Báez, who died at age 94 in 2021, Sotomayor recalled a time when “she could barely walk and a friend came over and started a little song and said, ‘Celina, dance.’ And my mother stood in place and moved her hips and her legs and then got a smile on her face.”

She added, “I have eternal optimism, and I think that’s a product of how vibrant a person my own mother was.”

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Just Shine! How to be a Better Youhits shelves Sept. 9 and is available now for preorder, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com