North Preston, N.S., artist offers school book tour to inspire younger generations

An artist from North Preston, N.S., is wrapping up his latest school book tour.

Keonté Beals' book tour is called the "I Am Experience Children's Book Tour," where he visits schools to inspire and connect with students and staff through storytelling and singing.

"We have a really good time. People used to say to me all the time that it's like poetry, it's like a sermon, it's like a musical performance all in one," explained Beals during an interview with CTV Atlantic's Katie Kelly on Tuesday.

"So, we do a live interactive reading of the children's books, I do a musical concert for the kids at the end which is about 15 to 20 minutes. I take them through the book because I not only write them, I also illustrate them too. So, I get to show them about how I actually created the pictures, where some of these stories come from. So, it's a really good time, it's a lot of energy."

Beals is the founder of Beals' Entertainment, a company dedicated to creating uplifting and meaningful experiences.

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He said his love of storytelling and empowering others started at a young age when he noticed a gap in the world of literature.

"There were no books that talked about self-love, no characters that looked like me in the ones that did exist. And as a budding reader and writer, somehow at that age, I felt that seeing myself in one of these books would empower me," writes Beals on his website.

"It would make me feel seen and heard. Included. I can remember making a promise to myself that I would write stories that represented me. Who I am. That if no one else saw me - that I would see myself.'

Beals said he decided to make it his mission to feed into the next generation and give them an opportunity that he never had.

Beals now has written and illustrated six children's books, with English, French and even Braille versions.

Beals said the Braille opportunity became a possibility about a year ago when the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA) – which serves children and youth who are deaf, hard of hearing/blind or visually impaired – reached out to him after seeing the impact his books were making and were interested in translating them into Braille.

"And I was like, 'Oh my goodness. Let's definitely do it.' And it took about a year to really kind of come into fruition, but it's been awesome and amazing," said Beals. "We just released it today, actually."

Anyone interested in booking an "I Am Experience" or purchasing one of Beals' children's books can visit his website.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.