Kenya Moore can add “best-selling children’s book author” to her long list of accomplishments.
On Sunday, Nov. 3, the actress, producer, director, singer and reality star released Brooklyn Bound: Paris — her first-ever children’s book. And the fans responded, buying out the title’s entire first printing on Amazon within two hours.
It’s an exciting milestone, but especially special for Moore, who wrote the book with her 6-year-old daughter, Brooklyn Daly, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Daly.
“I’m so proud of Brooklyn,” Moore, 53, says. “Part of being a mother is you always want to give your child opportunities that you never had. And for her to have this accomplishment as part of her legacy already, it’s just a reminder that there are so many things in the future coming her way that are beyond what we can even imagine.”
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The book, which Moore imagines will be the first in a series, follows 4-year-old Brooklyn as she takes readers through her favorite spots in Paris during a trip to the City of Lights for her birthday. That’s something Moore has been doing with Brooklyn regularly since her daughter’s first birthday celebrations.
“I’ve always wanted Brooklyn to be exposed to different parts of the globe because I want her to be a global citizen,” Moore says. “I don’t want her to be close-minded. I want her to know the world is bigger than her backyard; bigger than our life in Atlanta.”
“There are so many things we can see and learn and appreciate and grow from when we experience other cultures,” Moore continues. “That’s part of the reason why I have her in an international school, too. And why every night, I cook her cuisine from a different place in the world. I never grew up like that, but I want to do better for my daughter.”
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Brooklyn, Moore says, has “really embraced” the adventures, and Moore can already see the impact it has had on shaping her personality. “She’s a very curious, very respectful little girl,” Moore says. “She’s not afraid to try new things, and you can see when she learns something, she really internalizes and appreciates other people’s differences.”
“The other day, she came home from school having celebrated Diwali there,” Moore explains. “She was in the traditional garb, and was telling me about the bindi on her forehead. And I just felt so happy of her because she’s being exposed to so many different cultures and she’s really absorbing it all.”
Moore witnessed that firsthand during a trip the mother-daughter duo took last month to Kenya. “In Africa, we visited the Maasai tribe,” she recalls. “And we went to their village, went into their homes, and Brooklyn got to see what their lives are like. Where they sleep, where they eat; what they have and don’t have… even how they prepare food. They taught us how to make fire, how their kitchen is set up. And it was all so fascinating to her.”
Kenya will likely be the next location in the Brooklyn Bound series, Moore tells PEOPLE. “It’s fresh in our minds, so I want to get started on that next,” she says. “But I think we’ll do Dubai after that. There’s so much to explore, the possibilities really are endless.”
The idea for the book actually came to Moore from Brooklyn herself.
“She’s just starting to read real words now on her own, but Brooklyn has always loved books,” Moore gushes. “I read to her every night and one day, she brought me this paper book she wrote with the help of one of our caregivers. It was about her and Bluey going on this adventure together, and she had drawn these pictures and stabled construction paper together so it pages like a real book. And I was so impressed because some of it actually rhymed. So I thought, ‘Maybe we should write a book together?’ ”
Kenya Moore Instagram
Centering it around their adventures abroad was a no-brainer. Moore did all the illustrations herself but insists the writing process was collaborative. “We sat down at first and Brooklyn told me all the things she loved about Paris. And then when I was writing, I’d say, ‘What rhymes with this paste?’ And she’s said, ‘Waste! Taste! Haste!’ So that’s how we did it.”
Narrated from Brooklyns’ point of view, Brooklyn Bound: Paris sees the little girl visit everything from the iconic Eiffel Tower and the grand Arc de Triomphe to the Tuileries Garden and the Louvre. There are activities along the way, including a French cooking class. And even surprises, like a magical experience at Disneyland Paris.
“It’s really born out of Brooklyn’s experiences,” Moore says. “And is not just about capturing the spirit of travel, but also about showing off that close bond that develops between mothers and daughters during getaways like this.”
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Moore hopes the series goes beyond print, perhaps into an animated show. “I haven’t really seen an animated series following a Black girl around her age with a single mom,” Moore notes. “So this gives me hope that maybe there’s an opportunity there, especially with the travel element.”
But until then, Moore is just hopeful other kids are inspired by the book.
“Reading opens your world up to everything,” Moore says. “There’s a world of adventure out there in the pages of books. And I hope that other kids, who may not be able to go to Paris or Kenya or wherever we end up, can really feel like they’re there with Brooklyn, can learn from her, and can aspire to go there one day.”
“Brooklyn has always been this beacon of hope in my life, ever since I had her, ” Moore adds. “And I just know she’ll be that to others after they read this, too.”
