Every Story Connects & Gives Back

Every Bug & Bear book is part of a bigger story.
Some connect in wild ways. Some spark brand-new ideas.
All are powered by imagination—and right now, during the Painting Grace launch, they’re connecting to something even bigger: our Story Shapers’ communities.

Through September 5th, 75% of ALL Painting Grace royalties go straight to the schools selected by our Story Shapers.

So explore the series. Find your family’s next favorite.
And know that every story you buy helps shape the next one—and supports a local cause along the way.

Book Six: Painting Grace

Painting Grace is a lyrical children’s book that brings civil rights protest signs and historic protest quotes to life through the eyes of a child—and the wings of a butterfly who’s marched before.

Billy and Mary weren’t looking to start a movement.
They just followed their mom into the crowd.

What they found… was Grace.
An aging butterfly with paint-splattered wings and a past rooted in protest.
She had marched this path decades ago.
Now, she’s painting again—not because nothing changed, but because not enough did.

As chants echo and signs rise, Grace paints one of her own.
A protest quote written in soft strokes, full of truth and fire:

“Rise women, love your place.
Always find your saving grace.”

Inspired by historic civil rights protest signs and the stories behind them, Painting Grace invites kids to witness how small voices become movements—and how even quiet colors can carry revolution.

This isn’t just a story.
It’s a sign. A symbol. A spark.

Behind the Story

This story—Painting Grace—started with a young man who submitted the theme of women’s suffrage and a group of readers who chose it as the winning concept.

14-year-old Dom understood that justice isn’t just a woman’s fight—it’s everyone’s.

Then came Bray, age 10, who gave us a protest quote too strong for silence:

“Rise women, love your place. Always find your saving grace.”

And then Charleigh, age 9, drew an image of women doing anything they wanted—because they’re allowed to let themselves shine.

Together, their ideas formed Grace—an elderly butterfly who has walked this road before.
She’s held protest signs. She’s raised her voice. She’s painted for justice.
And now? She still does.

These kids didn’t just create a story.
They created a reminder.
That the legacy of civil rights protest signs and protest quotes lives on in today’s young changemakers.

History isn’t behind us.
It is us.

Every day, we shape the world we live in—with our voices, our actions, and our art.

Painting Grace is proof that when kids lead, we don’t just tell better stories—we shape a better world.

Grace is what happens when memory meets courage.
And this book?
It’s a brushstroke in the march toward better.

For families and classrooms looking to learn more about protests and civil rights, Learning for Justice provides excellent resources.