Being Your Best Helps Others in Beautiful Picture Book from Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Justice Sonia Sotomayor's gorgeous picture book and story Just Shine! How to Be a Better You is a tribute to her mother and the lessons that she learned from her mother in being a good person. Sotomayor believes that the lessons of being kind to others was a gift that her mother gave to her and attributes her mom for her success in life. Sotomayor's picture book story is based on her mom's story of her life.

Celina was a little girl from Puerto Rico who had a special gift of showing kindness to others in many small ways. She always saw the best in others and helped others to be their best self. Celina's mom would often wander off and Celina would be brave to go out into the dark night to help her mom return home. She showed love for her mom. Celina and her mom were very poor and Celina made handkerchiefs to sell for income. Celina often stopped to talk to an elderly woman who she would see sitting alone on her porch. She showed kindness to the woman. Celina made an effort to find out why her friend stopped being her friend and discovered that her friend had worries about her sick grandmother. All of these acts of kindness were simple but each act made a difference. Celina moved to New York City as an adult and became a nurse. She was able to use her kind personality in her nursing profession. Celina became ill as she grew older and passed away, but she left a legacy of kindness.

Jacqueline Alcantara contributed her talents as an illustrator to create gorgeous illustrations for Just Shine! How to Be a Better You.

Just Shine! How to Be a Better You is recommended for ages 4-8. It was published by Philomel, a division of Penguin/Random House. It has an ISBN of 978-0-593-20629-4. The book will be available for sale in your favorite bookstore on September 9, 2025.

Teachers who teach in early elementary classrooms will want to add this beautiful picture book with story of kindness to their classroom library. Learning to be kind in the world that we are living in now is an important skill for young children to learn. Just Shine! is a great choice to introduce the lessons of kindness. It is also an opportunity for children to learn about Justice Sonia Sotomayor as a Supreme Court Justice and author of several children's books.

*Read Just Shine! in a story time session. Call attention to the fact that Sotomayor has based her picture book on the story of her mom.

*Call attention to the ways that Celina showed kindness to others. Engage children in a discussion of ways that they can show kindness. What acts of kindness have they shown to others?

*Celina shared a blanket as an act of kindness. Sharing is a way to show kindness. Engage children in a discussion of an item that they have shared with someone.

*Celina showed kindness by forgiving her friend that hurt her feelings. Engage children in a discussion of someone that they had to forgive for hurting their feelings.

*Celina showed kindness by listening to someone who wanted to tell their story. Engage children in an activity by partnering them in pairs to take turns sharing a story and listening to each other with kindness.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York. She earned a BA from Princeton University and her JD from Yale Law School. She served as an assistant district attorney in New York County and later as a judge for US District Court in the Southern District of New York. She was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2009. She has written several children's books.

Jacqueline Alcantara is a freelance illustrator and artist. She enjoys promoting inclusiveness and diversity in children's books. Her first picture book, The Field, was named a Best Book of 2018 by School Library Journal, Horn Book, and Kirkus Reviews.