Teen illustrates books to deal with her condition

“I was born without ears. Well, I have ears, but they weren’t formed really well and then missing a bone somewhere around here, so I had a lot of surgeries in my life,” she said.

So far, she’s illustrated two books: “Wade the Turtle” and “Justine the Cat.” They tell the stories of people with disabilities and the daily challenges they face.

Haley’s mom, Leshia Anderson, said, “Kids would refuse to take her hand because of her differences and refuse to sit next to her on the bus.”

Haley said she won’t let bullying hold her back. She’s finding her voice through her artistic hands and markers.

Told through animal characters, there’s also a biography of a person behind the story.

The mission of the “Dan the Fish” series is to inspire children to be who they are and to help end bullying of all children.

Author Cathie Gebhart said, “I’m hoping when the books get out that kids, younger kids in the classrooms will rally around their friends instead of bullying their friends, and that’ll carry up on through high school, and that’ll carry up on through life.”

Haley said she’s proud of her work, and she hopes her new voice helps others, especially those with special needs.
“I hope they like it,” Haley said.

These books can be bought at Amazon.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/1ZHRV1O