Common Preparing New Line Of Children’s Books

Common, who previously announced the release of a new line of children’s books, recently discussed his upcoming three titles plus another book on the subject of AIDS. The Chicago MC has written two books tentatively titled I Like You, But I Love Me , and ME: Mixed Emotions, in addition to his first book, The […]

Common, who previously

announced the release of a new line of children’s books, recently discussed

his upcoming three titles plus another book on the subject of AIDS.

The Chicago MC

has written two books tentatively titled I Like You, But I Love Me

, and ME: Mixed Emotions, in addition to his first book, The Mirror

in Me, which is scheduled to be released this fall.

"I’m working

on a fourth one dealing with AIDS," Common told AllHipHop.com. "It’s

called Hug Me, It’s Okay."

Common, who had

a family member that passed away from AIDS, has been avidly involved in the

"Knowing is Beautiful" campaign, which encourages HIV/AIDS prevention

and education.

The lead character

in the rapper’s first book The Mirror in Me is a boy from Africa who

moves to New York and battles identity issues.

"He keeps

going to the mirror after days of going to school and trying to be something

he ain’t, and he never sees his reflection until his teacher tells him, ‘One

day you gon’ learn,’" explained Common.

"He went home

that night real frustrated and [asked] the mirror, ‘Why don’t you show me my

reflection?’ And the mirror is like, ‘You can’t see you because you’re not being

you.’ So the mirror kind of gave him his lesson and he took it."

The books are meant

to instill valuable messages using subjects that children can relate to, according

to Common.

His latest critically

praised album, BE, currently holds the No. 4 spot on the Billboard

R&B/Hip-Hop Charts.