COMMUNITY
MAGNUM OPUS
Beauty Lessons
Author Harriet Morse pens ode to self-confidence
for daughters while living the lessons of her tome.
By Stefani Barner
ama, does this make me beautiful?"
The question, asked by author
Harriet Morse's then-3-year-old
daughter Jillian, was the inspiration for
her children's book Does This Make Me
Beautiful? (Ferne Press; $16.95; 32 pp.)
"I got scared and thought that she was
already learning the wrong message.
She was already learning that what she
had on made her beautiful and not who
she was," says Morse, 42."As a mother, I
was at a crossroads. I could raise her to
believe that it was the dress that made
her beautiful, or I could do something dif-
ferent. So I wrote this book!'
It took the Huntington Woods mother of
three girls only 20 minutes to complete the
first draft, but it would take almost seven
years (and several rejection letters) before
she held the final copy in her hands.
"I did not change a thing — I kept going
because I believed fully in the message;'
Morse says. That perseverance paid off
when her manuscript was accepted by
Northville, Mich.-based publisher Marian
Nelson.
"I see 6 year olds worrying about how
thin they are and what they're dressing like
and how sexy they are. It's outrageous;' says
Nelson. "What Harriet wrote is something
that probably bugs any mother out there
— kids tie into the media and the fashion,
and that's what they want to be like. But
the character in her story learned that true
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"catTe tradition continues.
beauty isn't based on what's outside. Her
message resonated with our mission."
To that end, Morse believes she is on a
mission. She sees Does This Make Me Beau-
tiful? as a powerful teaching tool.
"I think that bullying is such a hot topic
these days, at least in schools, and I truly
believe that the core of bullying is children
that don't feel good about themselves;'
Morse explains."When you care about
yourself, you're naturally kinder and more
empathetic. You're less inclined to bully!'
Her publisher agrees."This book stresses
that it's what's inside that's most important,
not what you look like.The appeal is huge
— if we can get to girls and boys when
they're very young, and teach them that
they have so many qualities and traits that
make them wonderful, special people, they
would grow up to be happier individuals;'
Nelson says.
With a sequel already being
discussed and a spin-off for
boys to follow, Morse sees a
wide platform from which to
spread her message of positive
self-worth and internal beauty
— lessons that have been
underscored by her experience
as a first-time author.
"My children, Jillian, Ella
and Lexie, are so proud of me;'
Morse says. "On top of the
message about loving yourself,
they get to see a mom who is
completely dedicated to them,
but also does something that is
outside of them to contribute to
the world. They love seeing me
in this light!'
The author expresses delight
at the response her book has
received. But, she cautions, she
does not measure success by
her own achievements.
"I think that, for me, the idea
of having the ability to change
even one child's life is powerful;'
she says."' can't describe what a
gift that would be'
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