A North Preston, N.S., musician and author is using his platform to uplift young readers across the Maritimes.
Keonté Beals is adding new titles and languages to his growing series of empowering children’s books.
His latest release, “I Am A Queen,” is a celebration of strength, courage, and self-worth.
“Women have been such a huge part of my life,” Beals said in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. “I really wanted to do them justice and be able to dedicate this to them in a way that tells their story – not from my perspective, but from theirs.”
Beals says writing this particular book took longer than his previous titles, as he spent time speaking with women in his life to ensure their voices were authentically represented.
The children’s book series, which began with “I Am Perfectly Me,” now includes five titles – all aimed at spreading messages of self-love, confidence, and representation.
The books are available in multiple formats, including English, French, Braille, and, more recently, Arabic.
“There’s a growing population of Arabic-speaking families here in Nova Scotia,” Beals said. “We didn’t want language to be a barrier to hearing that message of self-love and gratitude.”
The idea was presented to him by fellow Nove Scotia-based musician Basyl, who was raised in Jordan.
“He had the idea of being able to do this with me… So we actually worked with his mom to translate it. Shout out to them for the incredible job,” said Beals.
In addition to his work as an author, Beals is a musician and public speaker who regularly visits schools across the province to connect with students.
His books are available on his website and $1 from every book sold is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
