Out June 27, Gabba Gabba We Accept You is a children’s picture book telling the story of a misfit kid who grew up to be a punk rock hero — that is, Joey Ramone. A collaboration between visual artist Lucinda Schreiber and author/writer/parent Jay Ruttenberg, it's a story that speaks to one of the greatest silent majorities in the world: all the kids who feel a little different.

The splendor of the kid who grew up to become Joey Ramone is that, despite his hardships, Jeffrey Hyman never curved to the world. Pulling from the Ramones frontman's challenging early years, Gabba Gabba We Accept You offers valuable punk lessons for young folks navigating the increasing complexities of growing up, with Lucinda’s lyrical illustrations and wondrous design opening the sense of possibility on every page. Punk has always meant something simple, as Jay puts it: being your own person, and doing what you want to do, instead of what others want you to do. Gabba Gabba We Accept You affirms children — young ones and the adult children, alike — with an essential message that their individual personalities have an important place in this world.

On the inspiration for the book, Jay writes:

"My daughter just turned 11, so I've spent recent years in children's book land. I think I've read her 97 books about Abraham Lincoln and 12,984 about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It occurred to me that a lot of the life lessons I've been trying to teach her weren’t learned through my family or school, but through punk stuff: the importance of being your own person, following your own radar instead of a group's, embracing uniqueness, etc. The Ramones, and in particular Joey, seemed like the perfect embodiment of that."

Jay Ruttenberg is the editor of the comedy journal The Lowbrow Reader and of the book The Lowbrow Reader Reader. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and other publications. He grew up in suburban Chicago and lives with his family in New York City.

Lucinda Schreiber is an award-winning illustrator and animator. She has collaborated with a long list of clients, including MoMA, Saks Fifth Avenue, the BBC, NPR, and Vox. Born in South Africa and raised mostly in Australia, she currently resides in Brooklyn.