Introducing Abby’s Beauty, a picture book about two sisters
November 11, 2026
Book launches
View Abby’s Beauty in the shopA tray of mashed peas brings two sisters together in Sally Staehle’s debut picture book, illustrated by Sadie Fuqua.
Abby has big plans for her new baby sister. There will be shoelaces to tie, mittens to pull on, and pictures to paint. Then Abby learns that one of baby Carrie’s arms ends at the elbow, and she has a lot of questions about how they’ll do those things together.
In Abby’s Beauty, Sally Staehle’s rhymes and Sadie Fuqua’s watercolors follow a big sister learning to see what her baby sister can do. The story began when Staehle’s son Jacob Mundell was born without his left hand, and she found herself wondering what everyday things might be hard for him and how he would find his own way.
Inside the book
Sadie Fuqua’s watercolors make even a small gesture count. Abby leans over the bassinet to see her new sister. She leans in again at the highchair, watching a swipe of green peas turn into a painting. The echo between those two pictures is one of the book’s loveliest touches.
The real-life inspiration for Carrie
Staehle was living in southeastern Colorado when Jacob was born. She grew up with a limb difference herself, and raising Jacob gave her a parent’s perspective on the questions Abby asks.
Viewers of The Expanse may know Mundell as Erich, a Baltimore crime boss and childhood friend of Amos Burton. Amos looked out for Erich when they were kids. Their reunion in the fifth season gives viewers a glimpse of Amos’s life before he left Earth. Watch Jacob Mundell as Erich in a clip from “Churn” (Season 5, Episode 2).
Mundell’s work also includes a guest role on NBC’s Young Rock and a turn as Trinculo in The Tempest at Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center. Visit Jacob Mundell’s website.
About Sally Staehle
Sally Staehle grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and was born without her lower right arm and hand. She moved to Denver as an adult and built a career in nonprofit development and major-gift fundraising. She has written articles, essays, and newsletters in her professional work. Abby’s Beauty is her first book.