In 2025, Crystal Stein launched Beret Publishing, a publishing company and movement to help children see themselves and others in their full complexity. This mission was born from a deeply personal journey. Crystal’s passage into motherhood sparked a children’s book collection that brought the stories of Black composers into children’s hands across Minnesota and beyond.
Crystal Stein’s first pregnancy in 2020 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd—two seismic events that shaped her entry into motherhood. Personal and national questions about identity, community, and safety were top of mind.
As a Black soon-to-be-mother to Black children, she spent time in quarantine searching for children’s books with positive representations of Black characters. She wanted her home library to contain a wide range of stories that showcased the many possibilities that accompany Black identity. In particular, she looked for books that would share her love of classical music with her kids—featuring composers who looked like them.
But Crystal didn’t find what she was looking for. While there was no shortage of books about White composers like Mozart and Beethoven, she knew these were not the only foundational figures in classical music. Where were the children’s books about the Black composers who shaped the world of music we enjoy today?
“I couldn’t find classical giants and greats that look like me,” she said.
Faced with this gap in representation, Crystal decided to change what the world of children’s literature had to offer.
Entering motherhood in a year that called for personal reflection on how we show up for ourselves and each other, Crystal meditated on the question, “How can I best serve the world in a meaningful way with the gifts that I have?” The answer became clear–a children’s book collection that affirms and celebrates the complexity and potential of Black identity. What began as a quarantine wondering evolved into the launch of Beret Publishing, a company rooted in the belief that every child deserves to see themselves and others reflected with depth, dignity, and wonder. Today, Beret Publishing is dedicated to telling stories from cultures and nationalities around the world, bridging histories and imaginations to build a more inclusive, empathetic future for all children.
Beret Books, a division of Beret Publishing, brings often-absent stories to life, allowing all children to see themselves reflected in developmentally appropriate and accessible literature. Its inaugural collection, Echoes of Excellence, includes five multi-sensory books that tell the stories of lesser known but foundational Black musical composers: Vicente Lusitano, Florence Price, George Bridgetower, Winifred Atwell, and Chevalier. Each book portrays the composer as a child preparing for the performance of a lifetime.
Recognizing the transformative power of music to foster connection, Crystal envisioned a reading experience that would spark a relationship between the composer and the reader. Beret Publishing created an entirely new literary category: Multi-Sensory children’s literature. In addition to the visual elements of a book, like text and illustrations, Echoes of Excellence engages the senses of sound and touch by incorporating professionally produced audio and braille. Beret Books partnered with celebrity artists to create the first-ever modern recordings of these compositions, many of which had previously been lost or forgotten.
Accessibility was central to the project from the beginning. The inclusion of braille and audio ensures that blind and visually impaired children can fully engage with the material, while also encouraging readers of all abilities to broaden how they understand and connect with others. Designed to bring forgotten voices to life, the books allow children to interact with the material on multiple sensory levels—deepening their connection to each story.
To honor the full humanity of each composer—whose layered identities and lived experiences have too often been overlooked—Crystal developed a consistent narrative structure grounded in four themes:
Too often, people are defined by a single aspect of their identity, such as race or career success. Crystal says these four themes help bring readers closer to the truth of who we are, revealing each composer’s full complexity. The stories center not just achievement, but also the joy, struggle, support, and growth behind it. “Once you begin to see people for their full selves… harmful approaches to people and who they are or who you believe they should be start to break down,” she says. Universal languages, like music, help us expand our worldviews and nurture that connection.
Companies like Beret Publishing are paving the way for more lesser known but monumental histories to come to light. Through books and music, they are shaping identity development and cultivating empathy—helping us all recognize the whole person.
Thank you to Crystal and Beret Publishing for bringing belonging to life!