L. Dawn King on Inspiring Confidence, Literacy, and Positive Growth Through Children’s Stories

After more than a decade serving children and families through public service, L. Dawn King found a new way to continue her mission — through storytelling. As the founder of Empower Growing Minds, she creates books and educational resources designed to nurture confidence, healthy habits, literacy, and self-belief in young readers. Drawing from both her professional experience and personal passion for helping children succeed, Dawn’s work extends beyond the page through school visits, community partnerships, and interactive learning opportunities. Her goal is simple yet powerful: to help every child recognize their unique value, embrace their strengths, and feel empowered to grow into the best version of themselves.

Dawn, your career path from public service to becoming a children’s author is a unique one. What inspired that transition, and how have your previous experiences influenced the stories you tell today?
My transition from public service to becoming a children’s author was driven by the same passion that guided my career for more than 14 years, helping children and families thrive. As a mother and someone who has dedicated much of my professional life to serving children, I wanted to find another way to inspire young people. Writing children’s books became a natural extension of that mission. I have seen the worst of the worst, children neglected, truly heartbreaking events and my heart could no longer take that. I had to make this transition for my spiritual well-being.

You’ve spoken about the mission behind Empower Growing Minds. What are the core values you hope children, parents, and educators take away from your work?
At the heart of Empower Growing Minds is the belief that every child has unique gifts, potential, and value. Through my books, I hope children learn to believe in themselves, make positive choices, and understand that being different is something to celebrate, not hide.

For children, I want my stories to encourage confidence, creativity, and healthy habits. I hope they see characters they can relate to and lessons they can carry with them long after they finish reading.

For parents, I hope my books serve as tools for meaningful conversations. Whether discussing healthy choices, self-esteem, responsibility, or perseverance, I want families to have opportunities to connect and learn together.

For educators, I hope my work supports the important role they play in shaping young minds. My books are designed to reinforce positive character while promoting literacy, engagement, and social growth in the classroom.

Many of your books focus on confidence, healthy habits, and literacy. Why are these themes so important to you, and what role do they play in helping children succeed?
Through my work with children and families, I have seen how self-confidence, positive choices, and strong reading skills can shape a child’s success and overall well-being. I want every child who reads my books to walk away feeling empowered and excited about who they are becoming. This is the very reason I not only created reading books, I have created activity books that include letter tracing, coloring, problem-solving and identifying shapes. I truly want to make a difference.

You recently launched a new author website and expanded your outreach through school visits, library programs, and speaking engagements. What have these interactions taught you about the needs and interests of today’s young readers?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that today’s young readers want stories they can see themselves in. They are drawn to relatable characters, positive messages, and stories that help them navigate real-life experiences.

Through my interactions with students, parents, educators, and librarians, I’ve also seen the importance of creating books that are both engaging and meaningful. Children enjoy fun, imaginative stories, but they also respond to interactive books and activities.

As you continue growing your platform and building community partnerships, what are your long-term goals as an author, and what impact do you hope your work will have on future generations?
As I continue growing my platform, my long-term goal is to reach more children through books, school visits, literacy events, and community partnerships that encourage learning.

I hope to build a collection of stories that not only entertain but also empower children to believe in themselves and embrace their unique strengths.

Ultimately, I hope my work leaves a lasting impact so children become confident and resilient. If even one child feels more seen, encouraged, or motivated because of something they read in one of my books, then I consider that a success.

Link:

• Author website: www.ldawnking.com
• Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/ldawnking