“I really want to be like her, in each and every way,” little sister says to older sister, Charlotte May, in the opening of Bayport author Shannon Milligan Urbancik’s new children’s book, “I Hear Her Say.”

Tackling themes of body issues and how our strongest supporters are sometimes rooted in the cause of those negative thoughts, Milligan Urbancik approaches the subject with a tender story full of whimsy that brings two sisters closer together.

“I had always dreamed of writing a book that was fun because writing is an art,” said Milligan Urbancik. In 2014, while pregnant with twins, Milligan Urbancik was on bedrest for most of the pregnancy and began jotting down ideas that eventually turned into a poem.

“I enjoy writing in rhyme; it seems magical that way,” said Milligan Urbancik.

Main character Charlotte May, who appears to be high-school aged, relents her insecurities about her body to the audience of her younger sister. In fantastical poetry, Charlotte May compares her unwanted features to that of animals, e.g., huge kangaroo feet, hippo hips with too many curves, and flappy elephant ears.

The little sister takes the similes to wildlife Charlotte May has made about her body and draws an outrageous picture of an amalgamated animal to show Charlotte May how inaccurate her assessments are.

“It’s really in the preteen/teen years that these insecurities come out, but most of them take root when you’re younger and you hear older people criticize their bodies and think that’s what you’re supposed to do,” said Milligan Urbancik.

“It’s eye-opening when inner positivity gives others permission to do the same thing. Loving yourself as you are, embracing that beauty reminds us that you’re beautiful because you’re you.”

Central to the story is a theme of accepting differences in looks and how that is tantamount to truly viewing beauty.

“I think in previous generations, there were very specific beauty standards and that was passed down to us. Through magazines, they developed this unattainable standard that said you were not good enough, so I wanted to flip the script and write a story where you’re given permission to like that you have your own look,” said Milligan Urbancik.

“Society will have enough pressure, so it’s a huge responsibility to give younger people, especially girls, that inner power to accept and celebrate themselves as they are.”