- Hello, everybody!- Smile!

- This was not- Wait, it's

- my idea, by the way.- not the paparazzi.

- [Efrem] From making television,

- My character Annabelle ends up here

and meets Craig Ferguson's character.

- [Efrem] to making movies,

♪ Gonna love me to death ♪

- [Efrem] to making music,

Kathie Lee Giffordkeeps busy entertaining.

- I just know that what I cameout of the womb wanting to do

is what I've spent my entire life doing.

- [Efrem] Absolutely.

- Putting on shows.

And nobody could've interested me

in a science project or a math equation.

I wasn't gonna go there.

Let's stop making our kids go there

when God already has a plan for their life

that is already beautiful for them.

- [Efrem] Inspiring little ones

to find God's beautiful plan for them

is at the heart of her latest work.

The Gift That I Can Give

is Gifford's fourth children's book.

Its poetic pages read "Maybemy gift is just to be kind,

"by taking care of thestray animals I find."

And "Could my gift be a wonderful thing,

"like having the talentto dance and sing?"

We sat down with KathieLee in New York City

on the set of NBC's Today Show

to discuss this passion project.

- What your children love doing right now

when they're little, I believe,is what they're meant to do.

- Did you see that in your own children?

- Yes, totally, completely.

Both of them are excellent writers.

My son now got his Masters degree

from Oxford University in screen writing,

and he's got like seven projects going

in Hollywood right now.

You can't stop him.

Cassidy wanted to be an actress

since she was a tiny little girl,

and she's done nine movies,new series coming out.

They're doing what they love doing,

and I don't want my children to do

what I want them to do.

I want them to do what they want to do.

We hover too much.

If we raised them inthe way they should go,

then we should release them to soar

on the wings of the wind with the Lord,

not keep holding them on andmaking them into what we want.

God's got a better plan forour children than we do.

- I love the way the book even begins,

essentially sayingthat, as I'm reading it,

I hear the scripture you'refearfully and wonderfully made.

But there's no one like you.

The uniqueness, exactly.- Be you, be you.

- Yeah, I think there's a tendency

in our world to cookie cutter people.

I went to different places in my life

where people wanted me tojust fit into the mold.

I don't think we'resupposed to fall into place.

I think we're supposedto stand out, really.

Now if God went to so much trouble

to make snowflakes individual,

not one snowflake out of thegazillions and gazillions

of them is alike under a microscope,

then we certainly aren't.

The masterpiece of Hiscreation is the human being.

And the first letter inunique is the word U,

or the letter U, the letter U.

And we tell children that at a early age.

That builds up wow, I'mthat special to God,

that He went to so muchtrouble to make me,

make me special so I can dospecial things in this world?

Not so I can win Grammys,not so I can have a lot

of money in the bank.

Those things may happen,but they'll happen

as a byproduct of you followingGod's path for your life.

At the same time, the fiercearmy of the Philistines--

- [Efrem] The biblical story

of young David defeating Goliath

inspired Kathie Lee's children'smusical The Little Giant

and now this book.

- There's a song in it at the very end

called What is Your Stone?

And that's basically the question we

should be asking our children,

not what do you wantto be when you grow up?

Just what is God already made you to be?

♪ So grab your stone ♪

♪ And throw it well ♪

- One of the underlying message

or maybe the greatest theme in this

is finding your gift is not just for you.

It's really for those around you.

- That's right, it isn't for us.

We live in a me me me generation.

We live in a where's mine generation.

I'm entitled to this,I'm entitled to that.

We're not entitled to anything.

Even the breath we breathe,every moment of our day

is a gift from God, andwe should be grateful.

We should be gratefulpeople, not entitled people.

And I have to remind myselfof that everyday, too,

believe me.(Efrem laughs)

A few people in this room have spent a lot

of years with me, and they'regoing, mama don't preach.

(laughs) And even if you're not

the smartest personyou know, if you're not

the most beautiful personyou've ever laid eyes on,

you don't fit into certain molds,

praise God 'cause you're not supposed to.

But here's the thing.

There is one thing that every single one

of us can give, and that'sthe way our book ends,

no matter what your circumstances are,

and that is the gift of God's love.

You can give a smile;children understand that.

You can have a lemonadestand and help the family

that's been falling on hardtimes in your own neighborhood.

Start there, start little ways.

Let God show you a need in the world,

and then let Him lead you to away to help people with that.

You can rescue animals.

You can be a good player on a team

and give the ball to somebody else

when you know you could makeit over the finish line.

That kid's never madeit over the finish line.

Let him have it.

Those kinds of things, it'sreally quite a simple message.

Sometimes those are the ones we trip over.

- [Efrem] Kathie Lee isliving that giving message

with her book, donatingthe proceeds to Childhelp,

a nonprofit organization working

to prevent and treatvictims of child abuse.

Efrem Graham, CBN News New York.