Elementary student co-authors book with her father

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Most five-year-olds are just learning to read. A little girl in Starkville took on a big task: writing her own book.

Duchess Yeates who’s now six and in the first grade co-authored the book with her dad.

Yeates says he has been reading to  Duchess since she was a baby. When she was around three years old, Duchess decided she wanted to be a writer.

“Because one night we were in my bed reading a book and I said, ‘Daddy, this book makes me want to write our own book,'” said Duchess.

David Yeates says he started taking notes on his smartphone.

“So, essentially what I did was I would ask her questions without her knowing what I was doing. So I kept all the notes in my phone and I put it together and then I found the publisher,” he said.

Yeates hopes their story will motivate other dads.

He said, “Another reason why I wrote the book is because it’s really a good read for Dad- parents, period I think. Because it gives you an outlook or a look into how a child views you every day. Throughout that process, it taught me some things and it helped build our relationship,”

The Yeates published their book last year. It is sold online at several retailers including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Books-A-Million.

The Starkville Oktibbeha School District will honor Duchess and her dad during halftime of the high school football game Friday night. She will also get special recognition from the mayor of Starkville.

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