Brave Like a Lion!

Megan Piphus taught herself puppetry and ventriloquism at age ten by watching VHS tapes. Since 2020, Megan has played the role of Gabrielle, a 6-year old black girl Muppet, on Sesame Street. After training for a year to learn Muppet style puppetry with the cast of Sesame Street, Megan became the first full-time Black woman puppeteer to perform on Sesame Street in September of 2021. Megan is a mom of two young boys—Leo and Ty.Niña Mata is the New York Times Bestselling Illustrator of I Promise by LeBron James and She's Got This by Laurie Hernandez. Niña's family emigrated from the Philippines when she was 6 years old, and settled in Queens, New York. Because her parents worked and went to night school, Niña spent a lot (like a whole lot) of time drawing. She studied Illustration at The Fashion Institute of Technology of NY. Niña currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, their daughter, and Tabi, the cat.

“An encouraging story of a child finding ventriloquism and using it as a tool to express herself [with] illustrations that are nothing short of adorable…. Fit for a storytime with preschool-aged kiddos who are learning how to express themselves and use their voices.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books“A peppy creativity-oriented story…[with] jewel-toned mixed media images that hum with excitement. It’s a reassuring peek at one student navigating timidity by embracing star energy.”—Publishers Weekly"Warm and encouraging...Drawn from the author’s childhood, this uplifting story pairs beautifully with the included puppet making activity." —School Library Journal