Author Description

Summary Be Long is a rhyming picture book about a character named Poly who goes on a journey from town to town looking to make friends only to realize he was too different to fit in. After trying to change the way he behaved and looked, he gives up. But Poly finds himself in a situation where he is the only one that can help. Through this, he learns to be happy and proud of who he is. Inspiration When our son was about 7 years old, he came to us one day and angrily said, “I don’t want to be Chinese!”. He was being teased because of the way his eyes looked and the children at his school didn’t want to be his friend because of it. Through this experience, our son was able to see how hurtful it can be to judge others based on appearances and grew stronger in being proud of who he is. Our inspiration comes from personal experiences and observations of children who struggle to fit in. Children should be proud of who they are without fear of judgement based on their outer appearances. Through this story, we want to help encourage children to be the best versions of themselves without having to change. Our goal is to bring awareness to how each child’s uniqueness plays a huge role in building great teamwork and making the world a better place. We hope that this book will inspire your little ones to always be proud of being unique!