Did you ever have a favorite doll or character in a book that you loved so much . . . and you wanted to be JUST like them?

My daughter used to LOVE to play with her dolls. She could spend hours making up stories, putting on outfits and carrying her babies around. She had SO MANY DOLLS! But one day as she was playing, she looked at all of them and realized, NONE OF THEM LOOKED LIKE HER.

That’s when she said it.

“I wish I had a doll that looks like me.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t have enough toys. She definitely had enough. BUT with all of the different dolls that she had, NOT ONE of them LOOKED like her.

She wasn’t complaining or being ungrateful. She was stating a fact that has taken too long to be addressed. She simply WISHED that ONE of them LOOKED like her.

Of course! Who wouldn’t? It was so simple and straightforward. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

Maybe it’s because I didn’t have toys and heroes that looked like me either.

When I was a kid, I read EVERY day. I read before bed, I held a book hidden under the table and read at dinner time. I read in the car. When my mom was headed out to go shopping, I’d beg her to drop me off at the library. Remember Phoebe from “Friends,” how she was ALWAYS READY with a book in her purse? That was me. I never went anywhere without a book and I couldn’t wait for my next opportunity to crack it open and devour it.

Reading allowed me to lose myself in other worlds and discover exciting places and encounter new ideas. Despite reading EVERY book I could get my hands on, I realize now that I NEVER EVER ONCE came across a book that featured a main character who actually LOOKED like me. I learned a lot about OTHER people and how they lived, but looking back, I realize that I never read a story where I found I had SHARED experiences or could IDENTIFY with the main character’s appearance, culture, or community.

And it’s not just me and my daughter.

I have spent years working in education as a teacher and a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Early Childhood Educator. Reading books with kids has always been a favorite part of my job. So it was NO PROBLEM to spend hours scouring the library looking for the perfect book to be used to introduce a lesson. There were so many books out there, but again there were so few that reflected someone that looked like me . . . OR the kids I was working with.

This needs to change!

When I think about my daughter and all the students who I work with that are not exposed to books and lessons and images that they can see themselves in, I am so saddened.

When a child does not see him or herself represented in culture, it impacts their self-esteem and sense of belonging- it’s as though they are invisible.

BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO STAY THAT WAY!

It took my daughter’s sweet voice, quietly saying what I knew all along, to set me on my writing journey.

The very same day that my daughter wished her sweet simple wish, to have a doll that looked like her, I got to work. I remembered writing stories as a child. I had vague sense back then that there were stories missing that needed to be written for kids – just like me. Now, years later, I could write those stories for kids just like me, kids just like my daughter.

I found some space, sat down, and started writing a story that my daughter could read and see herself in.

That’s how Molly came to be. Molly Morningstar. She is JUST LIKE MY DAUGHTER: a spunky, inquisitive risk-taker.

AND what’s more, Molly LOOKS like my daughter too.

I believe that what when we see ourselves reflected in the world around us in literature and toys and media, we get the message that we are worthy, valuable and beautiful.

Welcome to the world of Molly Morningstar.

And just like I liked created checklists and followed my favorite authors and characters through their entire series when I was a kid, whether it was Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Series or even the Berenstain Bears, Molly is a character that kids can fall in love and grow with, from book to book, from one adventure to another.

Not only does Molly look like kids who have previously been invisible in children’s literature, Molly’s adventures include problems that kids need help with everyday. Her experiences become opportunities to have conversations and help kids develop social and emotional skills so that they can make friends, learn empathy, develop compassion, and have a well-rounded worldview.

We all want our kids to learn skills that will help them grow, develop and succeed. My books are aimed at helping kids understand their feelings and how to navigate this world as a person who feels all the feels and has a sense of BELONGING and well-being.

Every child deserves to know that they can be the hero. The Molly Morningstar Series is here to help.

Need some practical tips to help you create spaces where kids feel like they belong? Click HERE for a SIMPLE and EASY Diversify Your Playroom guide to get you on your way. It works great at home or in the classroom.