As a grandmother, poet and minister Sheror Caton Moore knows even young children deal with a variety of insecurities.

They worry over bad hair days. They can feel left out when a new sibling is born. Sometimes they even get insecure when they think other kids are more talented, she said.

“I want them to realize they don’t have to try and be like someone else,” Caton Moore said.

After discovering an old doll in her home’s attic, Caton Moore’s desire to minister to children came to life in a new way.

She named the doll Fuzz and used her to narrate “Treasures in an Alabama attic,” a book filled with poetry. The poem “Happy I’m Me,” encourages girls to relish in their unique personalities.

“Dolls are very much like people you see,

They sometimes want to be what they can’t be.”

“Don’t be unhappy if you’re not like the rest!

Just sit and be pretty and do your best.”

You’ll soon know what I say is true,

Mari loves you because you’re you.”

Caton Moore said the book has been a great form of ministry.

She’s used the book when talking to kids in Sunday school classes and at schools.

“The doll faces a lot of issues I’ve seen my granddaughters face,” said Caton Moore said. “She comes into a world where dolls can do so much more than her — they can crawl, they can dance like ballerinas; she gets all sad and blue.”

Caton Moore didn’t feel simply compiling poems provided enough impact.

She approached friend and artist Martha Fulghum to bring the book to life by illustrating each poem. She also created cut-out paper dolls for kids to play with after reading the book.

The two women created the book to be more than entertaining. Fulgum said there are a lot of great life lessons tucked inside the pages. Fulghum often attended spiritual retreats at Caton Moore’s home years ago. The two remained friends and now Fulgum believes God brought them to this mission.

“It took us several years to begin working on it, but I believe the Lord is working through us,” she said. “I believe he worked through my hands to pull the poems together and it’s been amazing to see how the Lord has used it.”

Fulgum and Caton Moore said they’ve delighted in seeing young girls light up when Caton Moore reads them the poems.

To purchase a copy, call Fulghum at 901-2818 or visit Cedar Creek Antiques in Montevallo. The shop is open Thursday–Saturday 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The books are $13.