Grace McClelland, 9, was born without fingers on her right hand and has taught herself to do a lot of things with her left hand.
Grace and her twin brother, Patrick, were born five weeks early, both happy and healthy.
"We were, I think, thankful," said Tom McClelland, Grace's father. "There could have been so many things that were worse." "It's really a privilege to get to be her parents, so in the end, we're glad it's us," said Amy McClelland, Grace's mother.
Grace never let her hand bother her as she grew up, but a boy who bullied her in preschool upset her, inspiring "The Gift of Grace."
"I wrote it because a boy at preschool said I must be stupid because I have a stupid little hand, and I thought if I could explain it to him and to other people, then it could help people with differences," she said. "It made me feel upset, because a person having short fingers doesn't make a person dumb."
Grace was 5 years old when she wrote the book, talking about her hand and about doctors not knowing why she didn't have fingers. In the end, Grace determined that it didn't matter and that God gave her a special hand. "He wanted me to help the world and to help people," she said.
Grace signed several books at a Family Literacy Night at her school at which she shared her story."Her book, it taught me about her special hand," said Jaden Cruse, Grace's friend. "I learned not to make fun of it."
Grace received the 2011 Nautilus Silver Award in the children's picture book category. The Nautilus Award recognizes books that promote spiritual growth and positive social change.
"I'm hoping to accomplish that bullies will learn not to make fun of people and accept people, and people with differences will learn not to be afraid," she said.
Ten percent of the proceeds from Grace's book go to Hands of Love, an organization that holds an annual camp for children with physical differences.
More: Grace's Book -- "Gift Of Grace"
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