Janette Nakoa — home

New picture book · Ages 4–8

Who Am I?

“Like you, and different at the same time.”

Meet Nico — curious, funny, full of energy, and a boy who notices things other people miss. A story about being understood, written and illustrated by Janette Nakoa.

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Signed copies direct from Janette are coming soon.

Cover of "Who Am I?" by Janette Nakoa — a smiling child with curly brown hair, wearing a red shirt and orange trousers, waving hello against an aqua watercolour background. The title is lettered in bright green.

A child describing himself, in his own words

No diagnosis, no lecture

Nico tells you what he loves and what is hard in the same breath — the way children describe themselves before adults teach them to rank the two.

Stop, think, then act

One broken vase becomes a strategy rather than a punishment, and Nico does the growing himself — with patient parents, a plan at school, and teachers who understand him.

It ends with the reader

The last page hands the book over: four questions asking who you are, what you love, what is hard, and who helps you.

Look inside

  • Interior page: Nico waves and says "Hi! You can call me Nico. I'm like any other kid — like you, and different at the same time. I'm friendly, curious, funny, full of energy, and I notice things other people miss." Around him float popcorn, comic books, an atom, a rocket, a magnifying glass, a slice of pizza, a handheld game, and footballs.
  • Interior page reading "It's hard for me to focus, be patient, and work independently at school or home." A child's hands draw a heart, a stick figure and letters on a sheet of paper, surrounded by crumpled balls of abandoned paper.
  • Interior page reading "It's hard to concentrate in class. During a math test, I could hear kids playing outside. Then I started thinking about a book I read about butterflies instead." Nico stands beside a diagram of the butterfly life cycle — egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly — on a warm yellow background.

About Janette

Janette Nakoa is a mother of two and a graduate of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Aguadilla Campus, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. She has worked with children and youth facing emotional and behavioural challenges, and with their families.

Read more about Janette