Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You - Hardcover

by Sonia Sotomayor (Author), Jacqueline Alcántara (Illustrator)

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the author of Just Ask! shares a sweet and powerful tale inspired by her own mother's story. How will being true to yourself and shining your brightest help other people shine?

There once was a little girl who grew up in Puerto Rico with an incredible ability--she was able to make everyone around her shine.

In this beautifully enriching story inspired by her mother's ability to help people see their own brilliance, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shows readers how helping others shine makes the whole world brighter.

Celina is a young girl living alone with her mother on a sugarcane farm in Puerto Rico. After her mother dies, Celina is sent off to live with her older sister, where she uses her kindness to combat the hardships and loneliness of daily life. As Celina grows up and moves to the United States, she continues to spread her joy of helping others, both in her work and in her personal life. Whether it's sharing a blanket, stopping to chat with a neighbor, or using her skills to help those in need, Celina uses her caring nature to change the lives of her community.

With gorgeous art by award-winning illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara, Just Shine! will help readers find their own inner glow--and recognize that glow in those around them.

Author Biography

Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York. She earned a BA from Princeton University and a JD from Yale Law School. She served as assistant district attorney in New York County, and then as a litigator at Pavia & Harcourt. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated her to the US District Court, Southern District of New York. In 1997, President William Jefferson Clinton nominated her to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. President Barack Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role August 8, 2009, becoming the first Latina to serve in this position. She is the author of My Beloved World, Turning Pages, The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, and Just Help! How to Build a Better World.

Jacqueline Alcántara is a freelance illustrator and artist who spends her days drawing, writing, and globe-trotting with her dog, Possum. She is particularly excited about promoting inclusiveness and diversity in children's literature and the illustration field in general. Her debut picture book, The Field, written by Baptiste Paul, was named a Best Book of 2018 by School Library Journal, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, and Shelf Awareness. Freedom Soup, written by Tami Charles, has been named a Kids IndieNext Pick and a Kirkus Best Book of 2019, and has received four starred reviews! Jacqueline lives in Detroit, Michigan. You can visit her online at JacquelineAlcantara.com, on X at @_Jacqueline_Ill or on Instagram at @_Jacqueline_Alcantara.