Local author writes children's book in honor of her son
When Nautica Mason’s son, Gabe was born, he had a birthmark on his eye.
She frequently had people ask her about the mark, which she described as looking a little bit like eyeliner, suggesting she take him to the doctor or making other comments.
Mason said she was thinking about it one day and wanted to create something for her son that would normalize his birthmark and encourage other kids to be accepting of others’ differences.
“He’s going to school one day, and I wanted him to have confidence,” she said. "Kids can be cruel."
She decided to write a book and six months later, Gabriel’s Glow was published.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t read books about kids who look different,” she said.
She decided to create that book.
Mason said the story is about a little boy who goes to school wearing sunglasses. When the teacher asks him about the glasses, he explains he has a birthmark and he’s afraid of being bullied for looking different.
The teacher then tells a story about a star who looks different from the other stars but comes to realize she is just as beautiful in her own unique way.
“Some of you may be great at drawing, while others are fantastic at building with blocks,” the book reads. “Some may love to sing, while others enjoy playing with numbers. It’s these differences that make our world so colorful and wonderful.”
Mason said she reads the book to her son, who is now 2, and he loves it.
She’s hoping the book will be added to the Cleveland County Schools and has been reading and presenting it to different classes at each of the middle schools.
She said books have been important to them and when Gabe was born, she signed him up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends books to families.
She said he loves the Llama Llama books, and they just received one in the mail. She hopes he'll read the book based on him one day and be inspired by it.
Mason partnered with Amazon to create the book, sending them the manuscript so they could format and spellcheck and then having illustrations made based on what she envisioned for the book.
The book is for kids ages 3 to 8 years old.
Mason said she finished the book in August, and it was published Oct. 11.
“I’ve been shocked at the reaction,” she said. “There’s been a lot of buzz on social media.”
She said she’s had people take photos of them buying the book and sending it to her.
“It’s been getting a lot of positive feedback,” she said.
One of her family members bought it for their first-grade granddaughter, and the granddaughter said she had a classmate with a birthmark.
“She made the connection,” Mason said.
This is her first book, but she said she already has an idea for a second.
A Cleveland County native, Mason is a Shelby High and Eastern Carolina graduate and works for the Cleveland County Health Department.
She’s hoping to promote her book with a book signing event in the future and is visiting classrooms around the county. The book is available for order on Amazon.
Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Local woman writes book to encourage acceptance
