For all the misfit kids out there – past, present, and future – Gabba Gabba We Accept You is for you
Out June 27, Gabba Gabba We Accept You (Drag City) is a riotous new children’s book that tells the story of Jeffrey Hyman, the gangly outsider who grew up to be punk’s unlikeliest icon: Joey Ramone.
Written by Jay Ruttenberg and brought to life with Lucinda Schreiber’s kinetic illustrations, it’s a sugar-rush of punk ethos wrapped in a picture book—because, let’s be honest, the world could always use more Ramones disciples.
The book doesn’t just chronicle Joey’s rise; it delivers punk’s core manifesto in bite-sized rebellion: be yourself, even when the world tells you otherwise.
Joey was never the cool kid, never the most obvious rock star in the making, but he had something far greater—unwavering individuality.
And that’s exactly what Gabba Gabba We Accept You is here to hammer home, one defiant, DIY-streaked page at a time.
Ruttenberg—editor of The Lowbrow Reader and contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Times—was inspired by his own experience raising a daughter, realizing that the best life lessons don’t necessarily come from history books, but from punk rock.
“The Ramones, and in particular Joey, seemed like the perfect embodiment of that,” he says. And he’s right—Joey Ramone didn’t just shape a genre, he shaped an ethos that’s still a lifeline for every kid who’s ever felt a little out of place.
With Schreiber’s vivid, electric artwork (she’s previously worked with MoMA, the BBC, and NPR), Gabba Gabba We Accept You isn’t just a bedtime story—it’s a gateway into a world where being different isn’t just okay, it’s essential.
Consider this the first punk album your kid can read.
Check it out here.
