Andie Powers

ANDIE POWERS is a writer for Bravery magazine (braverymag.com), an empowering educational magazine for children featuring a brave woman in each issue who has significantly impacted the world. Her love of children’s literature was kindled during a college internship at The Horn Book magazine. Since then, her work for children has been published by Root & Star, Brite Light, and Bravery, and her recent writing and social media work includes clients Red Cap Cards and Seattle's Child magazine. In 2016, she released an illustrated nonfiction crafting book, Print, Paint, and Ink: Over 20 Modern Craft Projects for You and Your Home, co-authored with Emily Grosse and published by Taunton.

Betsy Petersen

BETSY PETERSEN is an artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur. She’s spent the past decade building an art business and collaborating with creative organizations to create fun and playful designs for a wide variety of products. Her most recent book, I Am Quiet, was the Goodreads winner for Best Middle Grade and Children's Book 2022. Betsy loves running, reading books, and playing outside. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two children, dog, and cat.

"This is a book for every child who has been told by adults that they are ‘shy,’ in that condescending way that implies that their way of being is a phase that needs to be outgrown. Emile shows us how strength and answers and friendship can be quiet." —Booklist, Starred Review

"Whether readers gain energy from solo time or from a group, they will find much to admire in this book’s protagonist, who is comfortable in the world and in their skin." —Publishers Weekly

"This story reassures and empowers introverted children and conveys their strengths to extroverted children and adults. It’s also a much-needed counter to similar titles that encourage quieter children to adapt. A refreshing, inspiring voice for young readers." —Kirkus Reviews

"Charming, entertaining, thoroughly ‘kid friendly’ in tone, I Am Quiet will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library ‘Life Skills’ picture book collections for children." —Midwest Book Review

"By giving children a window into what it’s like to be an introvert—and how it differs from being shy—I Am Quiet raises awareness in outgoing children and builds esteem in those who are introspective." —Spirituality & Practice

"I Am Quiet shows readers how to practice self-kindness, by listening to our inside—that part of us that tells us who we are—even when the outside world tries to put their words on us. This sort of self-inquiry can also help us understand how the outsides of others may not meet our expectations or understanding and that maybe we should show kindness by honoring even what we cannot know about them." —School Library Journal