I'll Be There

The creators of Always offer a celebration of a growing child’s accomplishments — and a reassurance that Mom will always be there.

Children love the idea of growing up and doing things on their own. It’s fun to dress, read, and take showers like a big kid. But it’s a little scary, too. Scampering along a stone wall just out of reach, a young boy asks his mother, "Will you still take care of me when I’m big?" Ann Stott and Matt Phelan, creators of Always, have teamed up again. This time, they offer an honest, warmhearted portrait of a child taking those first steps toward independence.

Ann Stott is a children’s book designer and the author of Always, illustrated by Matt Phelan. About I’ll Be There,she says, “It dawned on me one day that I hadn’t tied my son’s sneakers in months. I suddenly realized that there were many things that I no longer had to do for him. He was growing up.” Ann Stott lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Matt Phelan is the illustrator of Always by Ann Stott. His graphic novel, The Storm in the Barn, was awarded the Scott O’Dell Award for nonfiction. About I’ll Be There, he says, "When I was a boy, I never passed up the chance to walk on a stone wall. I'm still tempted by them today.” Matt Phelan lives in Philadelphia.