Singer and actor Kelly Rowland will make her children’s literature debut next year.
Viking Books for Young Readers will publish Rowland’s picture book Always With You, Always With Me, co-written with Los Angeles teacher Jessica McKay and illustrated by Fanny Liem, next spring. The publisher, a division of Penguin Random House, describes the book as “a loving ode to modern motherhood.”
The book follows a mother preparing to leave for work in the morning as she reassures her child with a rhyme: “Always with you, always with me, mommy and child, together we’ll be.”
Rowland, herself a mother of two, first shot to fame as a member of pop group Destiny’s Child. She has since released four solo albums, and starred in films such as Think Like a Man and Bad Hair. She is the author of a previous book, Whoa, Baby!: A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$ Just Happened), published in 2017 by Da Capo.
Tamar Brazis of Viking Children’s Books said Rowland’s book would provide “much-needed comfort for children whose caregivers work outside the home.”
“Kelly and Jessica’s loving words instill confidence in kids that they can thrive, no matter the distance from their loved ones,” Brazis said.
Always With You, Always With Me is scheduled for publication on April 26, 2022.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
