I must have been made for something special, But all I do is unravel.
Is this all there is?
What can I be worth?
The words from “Tiggy the Yarn,” a book by senior Ciara Cross shows the internal conflict faced by the title character, Tiggy. A skein of beautiful lavender yarn, Tiggy, like many children who are the book’s targeted audience, has a bit of an identity crisis at the beginning of the book. But with the help of others, Tiggy comes to realize how her life matters.
Cross will present the book at a TAFE competition at SHSU on Nov. 3rd.
“Ciara originally wrote ‘Tiggy the Yarn’ in Child Development class last year with Mrs. Parsons,” family and consumer science teacher Lelia Smith said. “Once she turned it in, Mrs. Parsons came over to my room and had me look at it. I immediately thought the book was incredible! Fast forward to this year when Ciara came to me in class, and said she was getting her book published and that she wanted to use it to take it to the TAFE Competition. I was so excited for her and immediately asked her if she needed help with anything at all.”
With the support of her teachers, she was able to execute her ideas on paper to publish, but the whole process wasn’t as easy.
“The hardest part was definitely the drawing,” Cross said. “I can have the perfect image in my head, but I struggle to execute it well on paper. It took about two months of artistic work, adding details and making edits along the way. Since I don’t have a fancy iPad or Apple Pencil, just my desktop computer, I had to figure out how to take my paper drawings into digital form. That meant a lot of trial and error with sketchy websites and even paying $30 for a software I barely knew how to use.”
Eventually, with the supportive tool of ChatGPT, Cross was able to transform her drawings into a more professional and digitalized version of Tiggy. As lots of work and effort went into making this book perfect from the words to the message.
“The woman in the story uses Tiggy’s last piece of thread,” Cross said. “Dedicating it with love and purpose. I think children will enjoy that message because it shows that even the smallest (such as themselves) things have meaning and value.”
The book was officially published on Amazon on September 8, 2025, making it available to the public to purchase.
“I would love to use part of the funds to donate to children in need in Gaza, Sudan and Congo,” Cross said. “Some of the biggest tragedies in our world are happening in those countries, and they often go unnoticed. Just because these struggles aren’t talked about every day doesn’t mean they’ve stopped. If I’m able, I’d want to use the money to help in that way—and also put some toward college.”
With the long process of hard work, Cross will be able to present and read her book in front of judges during TAFE competition.
“I would hope that our school takes more students to Nationals next summer,” Child Development teacher Darlene Parsons said. “We have some really dedicated students who are working hard on the competition projects. I want to show the students how far hard work can take them.”
Last year, one dedicated student advanced to Nationals, marking a major milestone for TAFE, a new club on campus determined to make a lasting impact in the field of education.
“The national competition last year was so transformative and truly unforgettable and set me up for success this year as president of TAFE,” junior Kristen Eilers said. “Ciara Cross could most definitely make it to the national level and bring home one of the top places—her book is exceptional in the way it connects with and encourages every child who reads it, and I am so incredibly proud of her for accomplishing something she’s worked so hard for.”
