Eden's Light

Illustrated by Jestenia Southerland
Hardcover
$18.99 US
0"W x 0"H x 0"D   | 20 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Jan 21, 2025 | 32 Pages | 978-0-593-62325-1
Age 4-8 years
A young Black girl learns that all she needs is the light inside when the world seems dark and scary.

Eden never needed anyone to save her. She did the saving. That is, until one night, she sees something troubling on the TV: the story of a Black man who was beaten by the police. For the first time, Eden feels scared and she’s not exactly sure of what. She does know one thing for sure: the dark seems much scarier now than it did before.

Eden’s parents try their best to explain that she is protected and safe, but none of the things that usually soothe her work. It’s only when her mother reminds Eden that people can never take away her inner light that Eden understands her most powerful tool to fight the dark.
Jessica McKay is an educator living in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. While juggling work, family, and self, Jessica has always saved time to read. As an English teacher, she shares her passion for literature with her students. As a mother, she shares her love of books with her children. And now, as an author, she shares her books with the world. Her co-written debut, Always with You, Always with Me with Kelly Rowland, was an instant New York Times bestseller. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Jestenia Southerland has a BFA in film and television studies from Boston University and is currently a graduate student pursuing a degree in Illustration at Syracuse University. She is the illustrator of the Brown Sugar Baby board book series. She lives in North Carolina.

You can visit her online at CitrusFoam.com or on Instagram @JesteniaSoutherland.

About

A young Black girl learns that all she needs is the light inside when the world seems dark and scary.

Eden never needed anyone to save her. She did the saving. That is, until one night, she sees something troubling on the TV: the story of a Black man who was beaten by the police. For the first time, Eden feels scared and she’s not exactly sure of what. She does know one thing for sure: the dark seems much scarier now than it did before.

Eden’s parents try their best to explain that she is protected and safe, but none of the things that usually soothe her work. It’s only when her mother reminds Eden that people can never take away her inner light that Eden understands her most powerful tool to fight the dark.

Creators

Jessica McKay is an educator living in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. While juggling work, family, and self, Jessica has always saved time to read. As an English teacher, she shares her passion for literature with her students. As a mother, she shares her love of books with her children. And now, as an author, she shares her books with the world. Her co-written debut, Always with You, Always with Me with Kelly Rowland, was an instant New York Times bestseller. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Jestenia Southerland has a BFA in film and television studies from Boston University and is currently a graduate student pursuing a degree in Illustration at Syracuse University. She is the illustrator of the Brown Sugar Baby board book series. She lives in North Carolina.

You can visit her online at CitrusFoam.com or on Instagram @JesteniaSoutherland.