# Is "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins, 2024) is identified by: First edition 2024, Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins (New York); ISBN 9780063337312, published March 5, 2024. US true first; no competing UK or Canadian precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 2024, Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins (New York)
- ISBN 9780063337312, published March 5, 2024
- Per HarperCollins practice the first printing states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 and a 2024 copyright
- Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal
- Publisher imprint reads Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erin Entrada Kelly |
| Publisher | Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins |
| Year | 2024 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 2024, Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins (New York) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition 2024, Greenwillow Books / HarperCollins (New York); ISBN 9780063337312, published March 5, 2024. Per HarperCollins practice the first printing states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 and a 2024 copyright. Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal.

## Is this the true first?
US true first; no competing UK or Canadian precedence. Newbery Medal 2025; also a National Book Award finalist.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Absence of the 'First Edition' statement or a number line not ending in 1 indicates a later printing; post-award jackets add the seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The First State of Being* by Erin Entrada Kelly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-first-state-of-being
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.