TV host and children's book writer Marktte Sheppard has always been a good storyteller. In her new picture book, Ninja Nate, which came out in September, she has written an inspiring story that helps children find courage.
Ninja Nate is about a ninja young boy named Nate who has a robotic leg because of a recent accident. Because he thinks other kids will tease him, he wears a ninja costume to hide his leg. In the story, Nate realizes that if he wants others to accept his difference, he has to embrace it first.
Sheppard grew up in Los Angeles, California, and wanted to be a news reporter from a young age. She told the reporter that she would create news reports and ask her dad to film her works. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism (新闻) from American University in Washington D. C. Sheppard became the host of Great Day, Washington, CBS's morning show in Washington D. C. It was a "dream job," she said.
She decided to try writing a book after becoming a parent. "I wanted to do something more and tell different types of stories," she said.
Sheppard was inspired to write Ninja Nate, her third book, after reading a news story about a boy with a robotic leg. She thought about her young son and said she hoped he grew up with the courage to celebrate differences, "What makes you different is your superpower," she said.