New York Times bestselling author and podcast host Annie F. Downs is preparing to release a new children's book. 

So Happy to Know You! is her second children's book. Her first book, What Sounds Fun to You? released in 2021, helped children and parents see that fun is everywhere. She hopes her latest project will remind kids that "the best thing about you is YOU!"

"No matter what they're good at, what they look like, or what they hope to do someday, the best thing about every child is that they are unique," said Downs in a press release. "I want this book to help children learn that being exactly who they are is the greatest gift!"

Downs, a former elementary teacher herself, says this book helps children treasure what makes them special rather than trying to fit into others' expectations of them. The positive, empowering message in So Happy to Know You! will help kids accept themselves and show them the joy of accepting others for who they are designed to be.

Annie book

"The kids in my life are some of the best, most fun, most fascinating people I know," she continues. "Growing up (and well into adulthood), it took me a long time to discover confidence in who I am and to be proud of the unique qualities that make me “Always Annie.” I would love it if every child learned that lesson sooner than I did, and that’s just what So Happy To Know You! shares with them. In a world where so many voices are shouting at us about what's cool and how to be, I am grateful for the chance to remind children that who they are, exactly the way they are, is the best thing about them." 

So Happy to Know You! will hit shelves on September 18, 2023.