Before anything else, I would like to thank the Horn Book and the committee for this honor. I am deeply grateful to my agent, Steve Malk; my editor, Donna Bray; Oge Mora; my amazing wife, Narin Ramani; my family, who inspires me every day; and the entire HarperCollins team for their commitment to this project.

When I first began writing I’m From, I was immersed in my international teaching journey, living far from home and searching for a sense of belonging. I’ve been teaching abroad for over ten years now, working with grades 2–3 and connecting with kids from countries around the world. During this time, I engaged in stories and built meaningful relationships. Yet I found myself grappling with questions about identity — who I am, who I want to be, and my self-worth as a young Black male teaching and living overseas. Students, parents, and colleagues would ask, “Where are you from?” When their image of a Canadian doesn’t suit my ashy skin, cotton candy hair, and latest kicks, they would repeat the question,“No, where are you really from?” Forcing me to question where I truly belong.

I was born in Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada’s oldest Indigenous Black community. In Preston, everyone is your aunty or uncle, and you have five or six grandmas and grandpas. You’d better be ready to rake leaves or chop wood on weekends — picking blueberries and running errands late into the day. Lineups for fresh fades from your oldest cousins and late-night pickup games until sunrise formed the fabric of my belonging, where each dribble on the pavement echoed memories that grounded me in countless ways.

Many ask, “Why did you write this book?” My answer is simple: I want people to understand that the phrase “I’m from” often carries a positive connotation, but that’s not always the case. Being from a place sometimes comes with difficult experiences that profoundly shape our lives. I wrote this book to create space on our bookshelves and in our lives for embracing the full spectrum of our backgrounds — the beautiful, the painful, and the everything in between.

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has read I’m From, particularly those who have connected with its message. I appreciate you. Thank you to the kids who see themselves in its pages and to those who have learned something about identity and belonging through it. I’m also thankful to the teachers and librarians sharing this book in schools and classrooms around the world. Y’all are the true MVPs.

And thank you to Preston. I see you; I see all of you. Without you, I would not be. You are loved; you are so loved. Thank you.

[Read Horn Book reviews of the 2024 BGHB Picture Book winners.]

From the January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. For more on the 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, click on the tag BGHB24.