Share a little kindness: Mother-daughter pair releases third children’s book

Carmel Valley resident Danielle Depratt Koelbl and her 6-year-old daughter Taylor have written and published their third little book with a lesson. Released in early September, “The Girl Who Shared Kindness” has earned Top 20 rankings on Amazon in two categories: Children’s Self Esteem books and Children’s Emotions book.

The book by the Sage Canyon School kindergartner and her mom tells the story of friends helping friends when they are feeling sad and insecure about their differences, helping children embrace who they are individually.

What started as bedtime storytelling activity turned into writing books as a way for mother and daughter to talk and connect. Danielle and Taylor have released two others in the series including “The Girl Who Loves Unicorns” and “The Girl Who Asked for Presents,” donated books to the collections at the Del Mar and Carmel Valley libraries and participated in author talks at Del Mar’s Sandcastle Tales.

The idea for “The Girl Who Shared Kindness” came after another mom shared with Depratt Koelbl that her daughter’s friend felt alone at school because she was the only child in her classroom that celebrated a specific holiday.

“I mentioned to Taylor that the other mom and I wanted to write a book about lifting one another up and celebrating friends. Taylor’s response: ‘No Mom. I can do this book.’,” Depratt Koelbl said, unable to refuse the chance to craft another story together. “What transpired was a beautiful domino effect of kindness shared from friend to friend.”

The end of the book includes a “Message in Motion” exercise to help stoke a conversation on being kind.

“I am proud of Taylor because she opened up to me about her insecurities and put them into a book. Other young children have already demonstrated increased confidence due to our simple yet powerful story,” Depratt Koelbl said. “The girl who felt alone at school last year received a copy of Taylor’s book. She took it to her new class and read it proudly.”

The book is available on Amazon.com