WHERE ARE YOU FROM
Many Americans with immigrant ancestors are constantly asked, “Where are you from?” The assumption is they are not from the city they were born and raised in. One Hundred Percent Me turns the question on its head, claiming belonging for so many children of color in a positive, celebratory way.
As the little girl moves through daily life in the big city, she hears some people say she looks more like her Puerto Rican dad, while others claim she takes after her Filipina mom. Should she favor one identity over the other? No! In fact, honoring every facet of her identity equally becomes the main character’s favorite affirmation.
This beautifully illustrated story celebrates our differences, as she learns how to claim her belonging and honor the heritage that makes her unique and wholly herself.
“A book from the perspective of a mixed Latina and Asian child is rare,” says author Renee Macalino Rutledge, whose own two daughters inspired the story. “Multiracial kids make up a huge and growing demographic in the US, and as all kids, they deserve to see themselves in books.”
One Hundred Percent Me by Renee Macalino Rutledge
Ulysses Press; Bloom Books for Young Readers
Hardcover; May 2022
ISBN: 9781646043484
$17.95; 8×8; 32 pages; Ages 4-8
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Renee Macalino Rutledge was born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in California from the age of four. Her debut novel, The Hour of Daydreams, won an Institute for Immigration Research New American Voices Finalist award, Foreword INDIES Gold, and Powell’s Top Five Staff Pick.
In addition to One Hundred Percent Me, she is also the author of the children’s book Buckley the Highland Cow & Ralphy the Goat, a story about overcoming hardship with the help of our friends, who are often very different from ourselves.
Renee lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she reads books for a living, loves the outdoors, and is always on the lookout for new adventures with her husband and their two daughters.
Find her at reneerutledge.com or connect with her on Instagram (@renee_rutledge).