“I Hope You Know” is a beautiful, encouraging, and timely book for children. The words and visuals make it applicable to children from various backgrounds and experiences. The affirmations at the end of the book help parents, guardians, or teachers reinforce the important messages it espouses and make it interactive for children. An important resource for my children as well as my students!

As a parent, finding just the right words of comfort to share with your child as they go through difficult times of transition can be challenging. I Hope You Know, by Zaira Castillo is more than a storybook you read to your child, but it will grow with them as they learn to read on their own and develop the practice of speaking affirming words over themselves. It is also a great therapeutic tool for any adult whose inner child never quite recovered from childhood transitions and changes and is still in need of hearing words of reassurance, acceptance, and love.

Zaira has shared so many of the fears we all face day to day, as children it can feel so scary to experience all these new things all while being deemed different. She has made this book to really see kiddos as the Lord would see them, it reminds them they matter, their thoughts matter and it's ok to have big feelings. This book is beautiful and would make such a great gift to any little boy and girl.

Zaira’s book is about words of affirmation for children. She not only encapsulates hope and encouragement but, also provides young readers and their parents realistic imagery to convey to each reader how words can uplift, motivate and inspire children all over the globe; to know they are seen, loved and deeply cared for. Reading each page almost brought tears to my eyes because this book is so wholesome and riveting to read that I had to read it until the very end.