HARLINGEN — Elke Allen scrambled looking for a gift to buy for a friend’s baby shower.
The party was nearly two weeks away.
And she didn’t want to go empty handed to the party without a present.
She wanted to pass on a gift that was memorable, one that could be cherished and had meaning.
And one of the requests was to bring a children’s book.
With no gift for the baby shower yet or time to run to the bookstore she turned to her creative spirit and mantra she shares with her San Benito school students every day — “Be Amazing.”
It was the inspiration she needed.
So she began painting until she finished an unbound children’s book about a purple ladybug.
“Inspiration can come at any moment and you can create something out of that and you never know what you are going to get out of it,” Elke said. “It’s something that piques your interest, or just drops into your mind.”
And for day she drew the characters and wrote the storyline of the book.
She wrote it four years ago for a baby shower gift.
The book is dedicated to her friend’s daughter and she named the main character after her as well.
The ladybug teaches kids it’s OK to be unique.
The story is about inspiration and what inspires individuals to do what they do every day.
“It’s a book that it’s OK to be different,” Elke said. “The sprit of the book tells kids you could be inspired to do something you love.”
In the end, the ladybug is really happy about being different.
She self published the book last year.
It is available to order from her directly or for download on Kindle.
“I always tell people, be yourself, be unique and be amazing,” she said. “You need to do what you feel is best for yourself.”
