A Crooked Crown Day
beautifullycrookedcrown.com
A Crooked Crown Day tells the story of an African American girl who is just having a bad day. She is teased at school, forgets her homework, and is laughed at by the kids at school. By the time she arrives home, her invisible crown, representing her inner strength, is about to fall to the ground! Fortunately, her grandmother is there to fix her crown with her hands and wise words.
A Crooked Crown Day was inspired by Hollingsworth’s own observations as an educator at an inner-city school, which led her to ponder the question “Is it easier to build a child up or repair an adult?”
“For the past few years, I’ve watched the girls at my school tear each other down and thought, how can we change this? How can I get girls to see that breaking/dulling someone’s crown does not make their crown sparkle any brighter?” said Hollingsworth. “My response to this was let’s build our children up. Let’s get them to see the brilliance inside of themselves, and then let’s get them to see the brilliance inside of each other.”
Hollingsworth hopes her imaginative and beautifully illustrated story will help spark conversations with kids about what it means to be empathetic and to celebrate the accomplishments of others.
“I would like for children and adults to use the book as a topic of discussion, not only about bullying, but how to develop the tools and skills to help build someone up,” said Hollingsworth. “Let’s teach children the importance of fixing each other’s crown, so we can all shine a little brighter.”
By following her dreams of being a writer, Hollingsworth hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams. She resides in Omaha, Nebraska, with her two children, Aden Stricklin, and Londyn Lee. She is a dedicated eighth-grade English and language arts teacher. She hopes this book will help teach, inspire, and reinforce the importance of “fixing each other’s crowns” for young girls everywhere.