Your Legacy Begins: First Words to Empower

Start your child’s journey with words that inspire confidence and connection.

From the moment little ones begin to speak, every word shapes how they see themselves and the world. Your Legacy Begins is a beautifully illustrated keepsake that introduces empowering first words―like “love,” “kind,” and “brave”―to nurture self‑esteem and emotional growth from day one.

Perfect for baby showers, birthdays, and everyday reading, this book blends vibrant art with affirmations that spark curiosity and compassion.

Whether you’re building a bedtime ritual or sharing a treasured gift, these pages help families plant seeds of positivity that last a lifetime.

This uplifting board book is adapted from author Schele Williams and illustrator Tonya Engel’s award-winning picture book Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History that celebrates African American children’s heritage and the legacy of their ancestors.

Now reimagined for a younger audience, this board book speaks directly to children, introducing empowering vocabulary while inspiring little ones to walk tall and do great things.

With a joyous feel and vibrant art, Your Legacy Begins: First Words to Empower reminds little ones that their ancestors passed down the best of themselves―gifts like determination, courage, dignity, and love. That is your legacy!

Schele Williams is a director, performer and author committed to cultivating work with authentic representation on stage and off. She is currently making her Broadway directorial debut this 2024 season with The Notebook (co-director along with Michael Greif) and the highly anticipated Broadway revival of The Wiz. Upcoming: Director of Disney’s revival of Aida and Hidden Figures. Schele is a founding member of Black Theatre United, a co-chair on the Broadway Inspirational Voices board of directors, and serves on the board of trustees for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She is the author of the critically acclaimed children’s book Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History and the recipient of the 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor, as well as Your Legacy Begins.

Tonya Engel is a self-taught artist living in Houston, Texas. Folk artists of the Deep South have influenced her work, as well as contemporary masters such as Marc Chagall, Frida Kahlo, Romare Bearden, and Gustav Klimt. Her bold style is figurative, textured, colorful, and ripe with symbolism. Engel made a spectacular debut in children’s publishing with her illustrations in Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, written by Bethany Hegedus and published by Lee & Low Books in 2019, and the recently published My Hair Is Magic! by M.L. Marroquin.