I Will Always Be Proud of You, Josie

The Unconditional Love Series #2

by Michael Wong, Brooke Vitale (Editor), Zina Iugai (Illustrator)

From the award-winning author of I Wish You Happiness comes the follow-up, I Will Always Be Proud of You.
"One of the most beautiful picture books for children that I have ever seen." (5-Star Review) — Viga Boland, Readers' Favorite.

"Stunning," "beautiful," and "perfect" are how customers and critics describe this inspiring children's picture book of unconditional love.

The timeless story empowers children to be the best they can be. It explores the many wonderful possibilities in life, and reassures children that they will be loved unconditionally whatever they choose to be.

The inspirational story is beautifully illustrated with diverse and inclusive characters.

Join thousands of teachers, librarians, grandparents, parents, and children's book authors, and discover why so many love and recommend Michael Wong's Unconditional Love Series of empowering children's picture books.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

51 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2022

About the author

NEW: Dear Daughter (+100 names): A loving letter reminding every girl that she is strong, brave, kind, and deeply loved, just as she is.

NEW: Grandma’s Timeless Wisdom (+100 names): A heartwarming keepsake of love, wisdom, and life lessons shared between grandmother and grandchild.

Michael Wong is the British-Australian multi award-winning author of "I Wish You Happiness" with over 2,000 Amazon ratings. Click the Amazon "FOLLOW" button for news of new releases. Follow him @PiccoPuppy on Instagram and Facebook. Michael lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two boys.

· Mom's Choice Awards® Gold Award
· 2020 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Winner
· 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner
· 2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal Winner
· 2021 Readers' Favorite Illustration Award Winner
· 2021 International Book Awards Winner
· 2022 The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Silver Medal Winner
· 2024 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Awards Finalist
· 2025 International Book Awards Finalist

1. I Wish You Happiness: 10x10" jacketed hardcover, softcover, personalized (250 names), bilingual French (Je te souhaite du bonheur), Spanish (Te deseo felicidad), Italian (Ti auguro felicità), German (Meine Wünsche für Dich), Chinese (Simplified 我愿你幸福, Traditional 我願你幸福), and Japanese (あなたにしあわせを) editions on Amazon.

2. I Will Always Be Proud of You: 10x10" jacketed hardcover, softcover, personalized (250 names), bilingual French (Je serai toujours fière de toi), Spanish (Siempre estaré orgullosa de ti), Italian (Sarò sempre fiero di te), and German (Ich werde immer stolz auf dich sein) editions on Amazon.

3. I Will Always Love You: 10x10" jacketed hardcover, softcover, personalized (250 names), bilingual French (Je t’aimerai toujours), Spanish (Siempre te amaré), Italian (Ti vorrò sempre bene), and German (Ich werde dich immer lieben) editions on Amazon.

4. I Wish You A Happy Birthday: 10x10" jacketed hardcover, softcover, personalized (250 names), bilingual French (Je te souhaite un joyeux anniversaire), Spanish (Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños), Italian (Ti auguro un buon compleanno), and German (Ich wünsche dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag) editions on Amazon.

5. Never Give Up On Your Dreams: Softcover, personalized (250 names), bilingual French (Ne renonce jamais à tes rêves), Spanish (Nunca dejes de soñar), Italian (Non rinunciare mai ai tuoi sogni), and German (Gib deine Träume nie auf) editions on Amazon.

6. Share The Kindness In Your Heart: Softcover and personalized (100 names).

7. Be The Best You Can Be: Softcover and personalized (100 names).

8. I Love You With All My Heart: Softcover

9. I Will Always Believe In You: Softcover

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you had to read just one picture book to your little angels at bedtime, this is THE ONE!!! How I loved this book! 😍😍😍

The whole content is written in the style of a parent speaking to their child. Most of the pages wonder what the child would love to do when they grow up, and the end of the tale is with an affirmation of love and support and a life lesson that all of us would do well to remember. At the end, there’s a special section on five famous people who make a surprise appearance in the illustrations.

What do kids want most? Knowing that they are loved and valued! This book reaffirms this idea in the most marvellous way - by telling children that they are accepted as they are, no matter what they want to be. It also motivates them to strive for their passions, to accept gloomy days as a natural passing phase, and to know that their parents are always there when needed. I loved the lessons, because they echoes the idea I have been driving into my kids’ heads since they were young - ‘Don’t try to be the best, just be the best you can.’

The textual content is very simple and there is just one sentence on every page. Yet, it is full of meaning and deep emotion. The lines are in rhythmic prose and are wonderful to read aloud as they flow smoothly. The whole content is chockfull of positivity and caring.

The illustrations melted my heart! Such cuteness! Such warmth! (I mean, just look at the cover! Can you resist the two cuties?) The sketches are diverse and inclusive as well. Bonus point: Having a dog (or sometimes, another animal) on every single page. Awww, my heart! There are 22 dogs in all (I didn’t count them, the last page revealed this! 😁) and each dog is of a different breed.

When you see me going overboard on positive adjectives, you can bet the book is being recommended with all my heart! This would make for the perfect bedtime read. It would also work wonderfully as a gift to expecting parents and new parents.

10 joyous stars, rounding down to 5.

The digital edition is available on KU. But please purchase the physical copy – I am sure it will be a stunner to look at! This is a book by a self-published indie author - all the more reason for you to support them.

My thanks to Picco Puppy and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “I Will Always Be Proud of You”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.


There are free Book Companion Teaching Guides available for this book on the author's website: https://www.piccopuppy.com/education/




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Connect with me through:
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[Jennifer Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Beautiful!!

This was one of the most sweetest and beautifully illustrated books I've seen in a while. Each page and illustration had me pause and imagine my own little ones growing up, and smiling...thinking, I wonder what they will be. I see this becoming an instant classic, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has young children or a library. In fact, it's going to be one of my go to gifts from now on whenever a friend has a baby shower or a young child's birthday. A perfect little book.

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweetest book of dreams

I love this book! Can't wait to read it to my daughter. All the possible things she can do. And no matter what, I'll be proud!

[Katelyn Demkiw · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute

Such a cute book with great illustrations. It also has a picture search through out the book so it's fun for kids!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Story

I loved ‘I Wish You Happiness’ so I was excited about this book. It did not disappoint! The story is heartfelt and the illustrations are beautiful!

[Carli Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning book!

This book is absolutely gorgeous. The illustrations are so wonderful and the beautiful story told in verse really shows the hopes parents have for their child! So many dreams, so many aspirations, so many hopes for what the future can hold for our children! This author does an amazing job conveying all those things in harmony with the absolutely breathtaking illustrations!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story and illustrations!

I adore the illustrations and especially loved the “seek and find” at the end. The story takes us through the possibilities in life and reminds the reader that no matter who you become, or what you achieve, you did your best and will make others proud.

[Lauren A Blanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Book

Illustrations are beautiful. Love the addition of famous people as children. Very sweet book about all the different things a child could be when they grow up ad the reassurance that whatever they choose the parent will always be proud of them.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s beautiful

Everything about this book is beautiful the meaning, the animate beings, everything, how it represents special people, I enjoyed it very much Thank you!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book! I loved his first one and this one is just as good. The story is sweet and kids can identify with it, as well as adults! Can’t wait to put this in my library. Thanks to the author for sending me a copy to review! I can’t wait for his next book. The pictures in it are gorgeous too. A great read for anyone.

[Ash.O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved I Wish You Happiness, and I love I Will Always Be Proud of You just as much. The illustrations are beautiful and so is the message. It's one of those children's books and messages that everyone should have growing up. I definitely recommend this book to be included in every child's library, whether it's personal for your family or in a classroom or library to share.

[Katie Gigliotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️

With sweet, encouraging words and soft illustrations, this book is a wonderful addition to anyones library. Perfect for young children and graduates too!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, inspiring, amazing

Where does one even start with Michael Wong?! His book "I wish you happiness" was such an amazing book, with beautiful illustrations and a great message - I've given away so many copies to loved ones as gifts.
Along comes "I will always be proud of you" - and I in awe.
Touching, full of heart, uplifting, inspirational - and if there is such a thing as perfect: this is it.
The illustrations fit the story, the story fits life in all its facets.
This is the book every young person should be given by their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or caregivers. This is the book every adult is wishing they had received as a child.
This book will be one of those forever treasured books, with torn pages with food stains on them, as it guides a child through childhood years into adulthood - and moves house 10 times with them when they are grown up, to one day passed onto their own children with the words "This was mummy/daddy's favourite book when they were little, and now it is yours. I will always be proud of you!"
🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟

[Toni Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful from start to finish

I have a love of books and I love to give them to my grandchildren and even more read to them! This is one that will stay on my shelf for just those moments when we need a little cuddle time.

[Melanie J. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

Michael again hits it out of the park with his newest book. Perfect tetrameter and beautiful illustrations are highlighted in this parent’s whisper to their child about what they may be and do with their life. A supportive and loving book for all children of earth.

[Cindy Ninni Ninni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book!
It shows children, through gorgeous illustrations, that their parent(s) will be proud and wishes them happiness no matter what they chose to be, whether it’s an artist, a firefighter, a coach or scientist to a chef, a musician, teacher or nurse.
It teaches children to be strong when obstacles come their way and to hold onto your dreams.
I love how Wong used famous people throughout the story for kids to learn about.
This is another treasure from Michael Wong.
Be sure to check out his other exceptional book, I Wish You Happiness.

[QiaoRong Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

I like the details on each page and every character is based on an actual historical fiction character. It's perfect for toddlers as well as grade level kids.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book with a lovely message

A beautiful book that contains a lovely message for children. The story is well written and flows really well with stunning illustrations. A great story book to inspire young minds.

[Natalia Sepulveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book!

I'm so thankful to have access to this amazing book! It's so dreamy to read to my kids, and even myself. It's truly beautiful! The illustrations are magical and I love that it is also educational 💕

[Shris Narayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with magical illustrations!

Loved it! Highly recommend this adorable book that captures every parent's emotion!!Very emotive and had me wishing these same wonderful sentiments for my children. The illustrations are gorgeous and wondrous! Didn't want the book to end!

[Kimberly Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Another winner by Michael Wong!

I got chills reading this. It's so sweet and well written with such a powerful message for little ones. A great gift to a new baby to inspire them as they grow older. I love it and the illustrations are just as beautiful as the words. So well done!

[Zineb]

Absolutely beautiful

[Ms. Nigeria Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustration is gorgeous

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and gorgeous, inspiring words. This is one that’s been read and reread, asked for many times over. It should be in every kid’s hands. Makes a great gift.

[Tricia Gardella · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

The words in this book are for parents. Not to worry, children will be too caught up in the adorable illustrations to even notice. Illustrations are not the only bonus, this book also includes added to-dos at the end.

[Christina Pauze (is in a reading slump) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 2.5-2.8 stars out of 5

I came across this book as an audiobook unexpectedly as a YouTube video. It was enjoyable but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy the book, nor did I find it memorable. I still think that Children's book can have a good story to them or at the very least have some memorable qualities since children do have favorite books and often it is because it is memorable for being funny, or maybe there is a simple challenge like eating the dreaded broccoli i don't know.

This book seemed to just be about embracing anything and everything you want to do as a child on a whim. Although it was cute and there was a lot of inclusivity in terms of race and physical state (some children were in wheel chairs or amputees) which I think is important for kids to see because they do connect with pictures that look like them - I think that was the only unique quality about the book.

The idea of making sure children know they can do whatever they want to do and that a parent will always be proud of you is a point that has been overworked in a lot of picture books and has been told in a much better way than this, that also explains that anything doesn't actually mean ANYTHING. when it comes to 'unconditional love' which I think can be taken a bit too far sometimes. It wasn't in this case, but still I knew that this was a book I wouldn't remember two weeks from now as I was listening to it.

I also enjoy picture books that rhyme (I didn't take points off for this but it is something makes me sad when it is missing).

The illustration was also colorful but very flat. Just like most animated shows and movie I found that it looked the same as any other picture book that has come out between 2018-present. I enjoyed looking at it for what it was but I wish that it was a bit more unique and all in all it felt like it was just fulfilling a generic checklist.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: I Will Always Be Proud of You
Author: Michael Wong, ill. by Zina Iugai

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 5/5

Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘putting across a strong message’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“I loved this book. The pics look amazing, and I liked the message telling kids they can be or do anything.” Girl, aged 7 – with a little help from mum
“I enjoyed this book with my 7 year old daughter. The artwork is sublime; so rich and vibrant in colour. We also liked the rhyming text and all the characters we got to meet. My girl particularly liked the baby elephant.” Mum of 7 year old girl
“My class had fun with this book. They liked how sweet the message was and how well the story was written. They also felt the rhyming was very good. We thought it would be an excellent book in a school library.” Primary School Teacher, aged 32
“I think I´d like to protect the animals or do stunning works of art.” Boy, aged 6 – with a little help from his teacher

To Sum It Up:
‘A sweetly written and wonderfully illustrated picturebook empowering children to be all they can be. A SILVER MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Ilana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is so important to instill in our children the feeling of trust. No matter their professional and life choices, they should know that we are there, for them, and proud of them.
The children-parents dynamics, particularly from teenage years onwards, does not always works perfectly, therefore the need to prepare for the moment.
I Will Always Be Proud of You is an essential book preparing the parents, together with their little ones, for that essential moment when our little ones will be big enough to decide their own life.
The book, through a simple text but empathic illustrations, offers the literary inspiration for such independence moves. Self-awareness is a process that starts early in life, only we can see its steadiness once the occasions to make decisions arise.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Julia Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book for any parent to read to their child. The book goes through a series of different achievements whether they will be an astronaut or a doctor firefighter or a scientist and that ultimately whatever they choose to do in life as their parent, we will be extremely proud of them.

The book brought quite a few tears to both my husband and I whilst reading this to our six week old daughter. We will continue to read this every year to our daughter to ensure that as the book explains no matter what happens in life we will always be proud of her for doing her best and for whatever she achieves.

[Karina Willmott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Book

Beautiful story and illustrations. Loved the doggy directory at back. Thank you. Great to have found such a great author.🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼❤️❤️❤️🧚🏾‍♂️🦋🐞🐞⭐️⭐️❤️🌸🐞🐞🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🐞🐞🐞🌿🌿❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️❤️❤️🌸🌸❤️🌸❤️❤️❤️🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸❤️❤️❤️❤️🌸⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🌻🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🧚🏾‍♂️🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🧚🏾‍♂️🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🧚🏾‍♂️⭐️⭐️🧡🙏⭐️💝