Local Woman Publishes to Teach Children Morals

Dyana Little has been writing poetry since she was a teenager.  A few years ago, Little uncovered a poem she had written about a crab which told the story of how he mistreated and ignored others until one day he desperately needed their help. 

This poem, after some tweaking suggested by her granddaughter, became "The Tale of Crabby Crab," a book about being grateful for the people in your life and letting them know when you need them.

"All my life my dream has been to publish a book," said Little.

And on a deeper level, Little admits that, like many people, "I guess my hope has always been that someone will be there for me when I need them." 

She wrote this book to convey how important it is to love others and be thankful for the people in your life. "I try to treat people as I would want to be treated. I try to live by that moral code," she said.

After taking her book to Publish America, Little's dream came true. Now a grandmother to two little girls, Little dedicated thebook to her granddaughter, Ashley.

"There are important things that children need to learn," said Little. "This book is about being nice to people because you might need them someday. [Crabby Crab] realized that he wasn’t being very nice to people who cared about him and they still came through for him... It's about gratitude."

As a preschool teacher, Little has read many, many books to young listeners. However, She has found in recent years that the books are lacking in purpose. "I have read a lot of books to them," she said. "I am seeing a lot of books that don’t have any moral to them."

"I was looking to provide kids with a story that they not only like, but they can get something out of."

Already working on a follow-up book, Little has entitled her sequel "The Lazy Lobster," which will bring to life the lobster in the "Crab" book.  "It is about how you need to pay attention and do the things that you need to in life," she said.

Little is married and has a daughter, Crystal, and two granddaugters: Ashley and newborn Makenzy.