Sherri Shepherd is hoping to teach kids about the power of friendship through her first children’s book, The Sunshine Queens, out on October 7, 2025.
Aimed for ages 4 to 8, the book focuses on four friends—Chloe, Jade, Zara, and Alejandra—learning the value of friendship, as well as teamwork, love, and positivity, while they overcome challenges. Shepherd’s own longtime friendships inspired the book.
“They’ve always been there for me. They’re the queens of sunshine in my life,” says the host of Sherri, her daytime talk show currently on season 4. “So, I wanted to write a book for younger girls so that they could know, you can do it by yourself, but you’re so much stronger when you have your girlfriends with you. I wanted them to know the power of other women, of other young girls, that could be in their life.”
The children’s book comes during what’s being dubbed a loneliness epidemic for all ages, including children. Research from Girl Scouts of the USA in 2024 found that the majority of girls between the ages of 5 to 13 experience loneliness. It also showed confidence drops as loneliness increases, but friendship acts as a confidence booster.
“I wanted these little girls to know you’re not alone. You just have to turn to your left and your right, and there may be a sunshine queen right there who’s shy or who’s a little afraid, and to just reach out,” she says. “There is always strength in numbers.”
The Power of Friendship
The actress and comedian has learned firsthand the importance of positive friendships, particularly when it comes to parenting her now 20-year-old son, Jeffrey.
“There were times when Jeffrey was little and I had to go on the road to do stand-up comedy; I didn’t have a job,” she says. “Some of my friends would come and just pick up Jeffrey and watch him for the weekend.”
She’s also leaned on her village for advice on her son’s autism diagnosis. That includes actresses Holly Robinson Peete and Tisha Campbell, who both have sons with autism.
“I need somebody who understands, who can calm me down, and let me know, ‘You know what? It’s not that bad. Here’s what’s happening,’” she says.
Along with helping her with resources, Shepherd says they gave her invaluable advice: “That Jeffrey, in his body, is completely fine; that he will make it through. He’s smarter than what he’s being given credit for, and he’s protected.”
There’s also value in opening up about your parenting experiences, something Shepherd does on her talk show. She’s discussed the difficulty of getting teens to talk to parents and some of the challenges of raising teen boys.
She says she’d love to keep discussions going with two powerhouse parents on her show: Meryl Streep, who has four older kids, and Angela Bassett, a mom of 19-year-old twins. “I want to know how that works,” says Shepherd of Bassett raising twins.
Shepherd, who also cohosts the award-winning podcast Two Funny Mamas, wants parents to continue similar positive dialogue at home, and maybe children’s books like hers can help.
“In this climate,” she says, “we have to show our girls that we’re their sunshine queen, that they’re protected, that they’re safe.”