Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade pen ‘Shady Baby’ book inspired by daughter
The couple has written a book based on toddler daughter Kaavia’s ‘adventures’
From the moment Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade blessed us with the gift that is Kaavia James, the baby influencer has yet to disappoint.
On Thursday, Union announced on her Instagram that she and her hubby have penned an upcoming children’s picture book.
She wrote, @kaaviajames has an opinion… and soon she will share it with the world. @dwyanewade and I are so excited to announce “Shady Baby,” our picture book which teaches kids to use their moral compass and inner strength to choose kindness and compassion and to stick up for themselves and others. Link in bio to preorder. #shadybaby“
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The book was illustrated by Tara Nicole Whitaker and will be released on May 18 under HarperCollins Publishing.
“This is our first children’s book we did together and we’re so excited for the world to read “Shady Baby,” the couple tells PEOPLE in an exclusive joint statement. “Inspired by our daughter, Kaavia James, we wanted to create a children’s book that not only had a little Black girl as the main character but that also reflects the global community we live in.”
“Shady Baby” is a story about a young girl who goes to the park and encounters some bullies. She learns to stand up for herself and the other babies. The proud parents hope that through this story, they can change the meaning of shady and show little Black girls and boys that it is important to stand up for themselves and others.
“We hope to give the word ‘shady’ a more positive association and use it to represent one’s moral compass to do the right thing and stand up for themselves and others,” they tell People. “It’s important that little Black girls and boys get to see themselves in these fairy tales and for children of other races to see us in leadership roles.”
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Three-year-old Kaavia is the youngest of the Union-Wade pack but has already made her mark on the world with more than 1.5M Instagram followers. She earned the nickname #ShadyBaby due to her no-nonsense demeanor and unenthused yet adorable facial expressions.
Last week, Union tried to participate in the #CuddleChallenge with Kaavia but was quickly rejected. The caption said, “Old girl tried that #CuddleChallenge mess on me and well, it didn’t work out so well for her. #ShadyBaby 😂😂😂👶🏾👶🏾👶🏾 #SheDontKnowMeLikeThat“
Almost since she was born, Kaavia has inspired her mother to tap even further into her entrepreneurial side.
In May 2019, Union released an infant clothing collection under her New York & Company line. The clothing was for babies 0 to 24 months and included many unisex pieces. Later that year, she also released the book, “Welcome to the Party,” which was inspired by Kaavia’s birth.
Union and Wade welcomed their baby girl in Nov. 2018 via surrogate.
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