An 8-year-old student at Boone Elementary is teaching the community to embrace the beauty of being different and love others exactly as they are.
Frannie Crowley has written and published the children’s book, Elisibeth: A Story of Celebrating Differences, which follows an elephant who doesn’t look like the rest of her herd. Instead of silky gray skin, Elisibeth is covered in colorful swirls, stripes, hexagons, and dots. Through Elisibeth’s story, Frannie reminds readers that the qualities that make us different are the very things that make us special.
Frannie was born with Holt-Oram syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects her hands and arms as well as her heart. Growing up looking different from her peers hasn’t always been easy, but rather than focusing on what makes her different, Frannie has chosen to celebrate her uniqueness through her writing.
The idea for Elisibeth’s story first came to Frannie when she was 5 years old. She drew the book’s cover and a few illustrations before setting the project aside. She picked the project back up during “Better Me Time,” a part of the Crowley family’s daily routine reserved for reading, drawing, or playing an instrument. One day, Frannie used that time to draw the rest of the pictures and write down Elisibeth’s story.
“I did all the pictures with my feet,” she said. “I can draw and write with my feet.”
Frannie’s mother, Hannah Crowley, even said her foot-writing is better than her older brother’s handwriting.
When Frannie got tired of typing with her feet, Hannah helped her finish the story.
Because Hannah teaches music at Boone Elementary, it has always been a part of Frannie’s life. Together, the mother and daughter wrote “I’m Proud to Be Me!,” an original song designed to be simple enough for elementary students to perform on classroom instruments.
The lyrics echo the book’s message; everyone has something about them worth celebrating: “I’m unique and special. My heart is full of glee. I make the world beautiful. I’m proud to be me!”
For Frannie, that message extends beyond the pages of her book.
She hopes readers will embrace differences, show kindness to others, and remember that everyone has something unique to offer.
More books are in Frannie’s future, but she doesn’t know what they will be about just yet.
“You make the world a more beautiful place just the way you are,” Frannie writes in her message at the end of the book.
When Frannie handed me a copy of Elisibeth: A Story of Celebrating Differences, she had written a simple note inside the cover: “You’re special!”
It’s a short message, but one that perfectly captures both the heart of her book and the lesson she hopes every reader carries with them. And it’s something everyone needs to hear once in a while.
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