To celebrate Women’s History Month this year, I paid a visit to my local library in Montclair, where I participated in a program honoring the theme of my picture book “Something Beautiful.” Mrs. Sandra McKnight, a veteran educator and literacy expert, conducted the first half of the program, inviting kids, their parents and grandparents to write about the “something beautiful” in their lives. After the writing portion, those in attendance were invited to create “beautiful” constructions using an array of recycled materials. The creative and harmonious atmosphere in the room was inspiring and so was the writing and artwork.
During my part of the program, I read “Something Beautiful” aloud and then asked for questions. One parent asked me about the “message” in the book.
“I think that beauty gives us hope,” I answered. “Beauty is all around us, waiting to be found.”
In the book “Something Beautiful” the main character goes on a search for beauty in her inner city neighborhood. Everyone she meets has something they regard as “beautiful” and on the final page of the book, the child’s mother tells her that she is “something beautiful” too.
Everyday I give myself the task of finding “something beautiful.” Find your “something beautiful” today.
