One children’s book author is on a literary mission to remind kids of the old adage, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it.”
Author Ashley G. Smith’s mission to inspire young minds has led her right to the City of Greenville for a book reading event at The Book Gallery, located at 647 S. Theobald St.
Smith’s reading will be from one of her published works in the “Makayla’s Blues” children’s book series, beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday.
“Makayla’s Blues is a children’s book series that motivates children to never give up on their dreams. Each book takes the reader on a magical journey that requires the protagonist to believe in themselves and figure out how to achieve their goal,” makaylasbookworld.com states.
In the “‘Makayla’s Blues’” series, Smith incorporated hip-hop culture to tell stories that are fun and exciting for children to read, hence the title of Sunday’s selection — “Makayla’s Blues: Hip-Hop You Never Stop.”
The illustrations of the book series were rendered by C.S. Frtiz.
Makayla, the protagonist of the series, demonstrates a great example of what it means to overcome adversity and how that adversity can build character over time.
In addition to being an author, Smith is a youth motivational speaker, interviewer and blogger.
“I motivate children to achieve their personal goals through skill-building exercises. I promote self-expression and self-confidence,” she stated in the book. “My goal is to inspire children to always go after what they want in life by first believing in themselves.”
The Book Gallery owner, Mary Hardy, said the series definitely encourages children and others to pursue their dreams no matter what obstacles they may face.
“It will encourage them to read and write more and instill in them that reading makes them a ready person — you’ll always have something to add to the conversation,” she said of the event.
Hardy, a former educator, also pointed out how significant observing the text is to the improvement of reading and writing skills.
About Ashley G. Smith
Smith is a country girl born and raised in a small town outside of Clarksdale. Upon graduating from high school, she attended The University of Southern Mississippi, where she obtained a degree in Management. In addition to her many accomplishments in business, creative writing is her passion. Ashley is determined to inspire children through her children’s books and build a legacy that believes anything is possible if you believe in yourself.
