Grace Byers brings new children’s book on body image to Decatur

Grace Byers was playing with her infant son three years ago when she noticed how happy he was discovering his body parts.

The actress famous for portraying music executive Anika “Boo Boo Kitty” Calhoun on Fox’s “Empire” gave him a ball that he started tossing between his hands and feet. Byers’ mother-in-law saw her grandson staring at himself, which inspired Byers to go beyond taking portraits to capture the moment.

“I thought about how soon we all forget as we get older how capable, wonderful and magnificent our bodies are and the discoveries we’ve made at such a young age. When we’re adults, we spend a lot of our time trying to figure out who we are, reduce or heal (some) traumas that we might’ve experienced in childhood,” Byers, 42, said.

Byers knew she could explore the innocence of youth through another art form: children’s books. She’s the author of “I Am Wonderfully Me,” a playful picture book about self-love featuring diverse characters with different physical features and rhyming words, publishing Tuesday.

On Saturday, Byers is having a book reading and meet-and-greet at Brave and Kind Bookshop in Decatur. She said it will be “a feel-good event.”

“I’m pretty fun, and it’s going to be a celebration of our differences and coming together to uphold what makes us unique as individuals in a commemorative space. We’re communing over the belief that loving ourselves and our children is top priority, and I’m excited to share that space with (Black and) other women of color,” Byers said.

“I Am Wonderfully Me” isn’t Byers’ first time writing children’s books. In 2018, she released “I Am Enough,” a vibrant story about self-esteem, and the encouraging “I Believe I Can” two years later.

“These are the books I wanted to read when I was younger. Childhood is where we all started to understand who we were, getting in connection with the world and experiencing hurt and pain,” Byers said.

Byers finds kindred spirits

Each of Byers’ books were illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo. As they were completing “I Am Wonderfully Me” last year, Bobo died from a long-term illness in October 2025.

Byers took a brief hiatus to mourn Bobo. “We started this journey together as two artists who had never entered this specific space before. When she stepped away, that part of her life was very private, and I found out with the rest of the world that she had passed away. Her passing away was quite heavy on me,” Byers said.

Artist Lisbeth Checo was referred to Byers by her publisher, HarperCollins, to complete “I Am Wonderfully Me’s” artwork. Checo said she accepted the project because she shares Byers’ commitment to uplifting young people through art.

“My work often explores identity and self-love, so I felt connected to the book’s message,” Checo said. “Grace’s beautiful words helped guide me, and she was very encouraging in her feedback. I’m grateful to be part of a book that encourages children to embrace who they are.”

Byers said she was impressed by the similarities in Bobo and Checo’s artwork. “It’s not such a departure from the original illustrations,” Byers said. “You still see this as a third installment of this children’s series, and I couldn’t be happier to have found and partner with her.”

Byers creates her ‘Empire’ in acting and books

In 2015, Byers made her network television debut as actress Taraji P. Henson’s nemesis on “Empire,” a primetime musical drama about a family-owned record company. She left the series after four seasons in 2018.

Though some viewers on social media couldn’t distinguish between Byers and her portrayal as a malicious woman, she said she is the total opposite of her character. She added that the series introduced her to a global audience.

“This was the world’s first time getting to know who I was, and I couldn’t predict how large the show was going to be. People thought I was exactly like my character, but it’s a compliment to the work,” Byers said.

Byers also said being a series regular on “Empire” gave her the confidence to explore her creativity. “It was important to show other parts to who I was and put me in a light where people could understand that my art can look differently,” she said.

The actress also found love on “Empire.” In 2016, she married her costar, Trai Byers. The couple recently celebrated their 10th anniversary.

She said her husband is supportive of her endeavors. “It really matters who you marry, because in 10 years, you can expect that you are going to experience so many seasons of life, highs and lows, pivots and changes,” she said.

“He has poured life into me, been my strong arm, dependable shoulder and believed in me in moments where I wanted to give up.”