Author Rebecca Wilson Macsovits shares what—and who—inspired her to create Guion the Lion and friends. Take a look:

I’ve got lots of labels in my life—I’m a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, employee, owner, author, Coloradan and Southerner (at heart).But labels don’t really tell you about a person. You have to get to know someone to really understand them—labels tend to put us in categories that don’t always fit. I learned this lesson when my oldest son and inspiration behind the book, Guion, was born.

My biggest learning is that people with Down syndrome are much more like me than they are different. Using Guion as my example, he has interests, capabilities, and dreams that are like his siblings and friends. His emotions run the spectrum—just like everyone else I know—he’s happy, sad, content, excited, mad, calm. And when it comes to chores or schoolwork he might need some extra help but don’t we all at times?

If you took everything that makes Guion, Guion but kept Down syndrome off the list, you’d be thinking about all the possibilities and opportunities in his future. Unfortunately for Guion, people label him with Down syndrome, people begin to see everything he CAN’T do. That’s not fair.