Because of You

With gentle, joyful illustrations, this celebration of the potential in each person illuminates the simple ways the world can be a better place — because of you.

Each time a child is born,
the world changes.

Each child brings to the world one more person to love and care for — and one more person who can love and care for others. As children grow and learn, they can teach others and share feelings, ideas, and things. Just as each of us sometimes needs help, we can also find ways to help others. The author and illustrator of MY BOOK OF THANKS reunite to show, through everyday examples, how acts of kindness, understanding, and generosity — no matter how small — can make all the difference in the world.

B. G. Hennessy is the author of MY BOOK OF THANKS, THE ONCE UPON A TIME MAP BOOK, and the Dinah Dinosaur Brand New Readers. Of BECAUSE OF YOU, she says, "Each of us, even the youngest child, makes a difference. Helping children understand that their choices determine what kind of a difference they will make is at the heart of this book."

Hiroe Nakata was born and grew up in Japan, where her grandfather encouraged her to draw. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, she is the illustrator of MY BOOK OF THANKS and of LUCKY PENNIES AND HOT CHOCOLATE by Carol Diggory Shields. "BECAUSE OF YOU has a message for every one of us," she says. "It makes me proud that I am a part of the world."