ABC News' Linsey Davis Teaches Children to Celebrate Diversity with Second Children's Book, 'One Big Heart'

When children reach about the age of five or six, they begin to wonder why some people look different than they do, worship God differently, or celebrate different holidays.

Emmy Award-winning ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis is helping families teach their children about diversity with a new children's book.

Davis wrote her first book, The World is Awake: A Celebration of Everyday Blessings two years ago with her then three-year-old son Ayden in mind.

Now Ayden is five and is the inspiration for a second book designed to teach children about diversity. It's called One Big Heart: A Celebration of Being More Alike than Different.

Terry Meeuwsen talked with Linsey Davis about the new book on Friday's 700 Club. She said the climate in our country today is what compelled her to take on this topic. "Raising my son during this time and just wanting to make sure there are going to be certain values that he was going to grow up with," she said. "People will say, oh, it’s anecdotal that our country is divided, but when you look at hate crimes are rising in the last three years – I just wanted to get back to what’s wholesome and good.”

Click on the box above to see Terry Meeusen's full interview with Linsey Davis about her new children's book, One Big Heart.

Davis says that even though kids notice differences between people, it's not important to them. "A lot of times people will say, oh, kids are colorblind, they don’t notice," she observed. "But they one hundred percent do, they just don’t assign a value to what’s good or bad. So I thought it was important to be upfront and say, yes, we have different skin color and hair and features and likes and dislikes and beliefs, but then let’s turn the page to what unites us."

"They're not worried about someone’s skin color or background or religious beliefs. They just want to know what do we have in common? What kind of toys do you like, and will you be my friend?"

People often say children have to be taught to hate. But Davis says it's not that simple. "I think it’s what’s caught. What the children observe in your behavior and body language, and who you associate with. So I think it’s so important for me to make sure my son is in a diverse area whether it’s at church or school, and I think parents need to be aware of that same thing. It's so important for children to have that exposure to people who are different from who they are," she said.