Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor Made It a ‘Condition’ That New Children’s Book Was Released in Spanish & English

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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has a new children’s book out, and she’s making sure it’s a must-read for multiple generations — and in multiple languages.

A Bronx native (born to Puerto Rican parents) Sotomayor says she made it a “condition” that her new picture book would be released on the same day in both English and Spanish. The 40-page book, titled “Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You,” is available now — in both languages — on Amazon.

NEW RELEASE

Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You

From publishers Philomel Books, the book was inspired by Sotomayor’s mother, who was always “able to make everyone around her shine,” per a description. As the Justice told the hosts of “The View” during an appearance on the daytime talk show Tuesday, her mother’s early lessons about fostering genuine relationships and having empathy for others, have stuck with her until today. And it’s continued to guide the way she not only works with her peers on the Supreme Court, but also how she interprets the often difficult and controversial decisions that came their way.

“Everything I understood about how to treat people, how to make others feel important, how to feel that they were important to me, came from her,” Sotomayor said. “That lesson is one that every child should know.”

Amazon

SPANISH EDITION

¡Solo brilla! Cómo ser la mejor versión de ti mismo

Sotomayor says it was important for her to write a Spanish-language edition of the book, in addition to English. “The purpose of the book was to be inclusive,” she said on “The View.” “Nearly 30% of children in public schools across the United States speak Spanish, and that’s a huge number of children who could feel left out if they don’t have books that can explain concepts in a language they know first.”

Previous books written by Sotomayor have also been released in both languages, and the Supreme Court judge says she’s grateful her publishers have “honored” this request.

Per the publisher’s notes, the new book, “Just Shine” tells the story of “a little girl who grew up in Puerto Rico with an incredible ability… to help people see their own brilliance.” The children’s book shows readers of all ages “how helping others shine makes the whole world brighter.”

“Just Shine” is written by Justice Sotomayor with art by award-winning illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara. Get the children’s book and its Spanish-language translation, ¡Solo brilla! now at Amazon. An accompanying audiobook is narrated by singer Gloria Estefan, who provides the narration in both the English and Spanish-language editions (Sotomayor narrates an author’s note). The audiobook has a runtime of 16 minutes and is available to listen to online with a free trial to Audible here.

Soyomayor’s mother, Celina Báez, died in July of 2021 at the age of 94.