'Today' Host Laura Jarrett Gets Candid About Her Meaningful New Project
Journalists Laura Jarrett and Poppy Harlow teamed up on a kids' book they hope sparks a conversation — even if it delays bedtime by a smidge. The moms have penned The Color of Love, a story about a teacher who asks her students to ponder the question, “If love were a color, what would it be?”
As the tale unfolds, students share wildly different, but equally beautiful responses about what love means to them and the color they’d assign it. One child chooses shiny silver like the menorah her family uses at Hanukkah, while another selects purple because "it's the color of the pin my uncle wears because he was brave."
The classmates cut out paper hearts in the colors they selected, and put them inside one big heart to create a "patchwork of love." Awww.
“We want kids to see themselves and their own families in the story, but also families that look nothing like theirs,” says Jarrett, who now co-hosts Saturday TODAY. Ahead of the book's publication, she pours out her heart about the project:
On how she became writing partners with Poppy
Poppy and I met each other at CNN, where we both anchored morning shows. We bonded over our kids and how early we'd have to be in the office. When Poppy asked me to write a kids' book with her, I said "yes!" immediately.
On how they found time to write
After our morning shows were over, we'd go to into an office, talk about our kids and life for about a half hour, and then say we'd have to get to work on the book. We wrote every word — and cranked it all out wearing our masks!
the color of love laura jarrett poppy harlow
On her kids' reaction
We included all our kids' names in the book. My son James, almost 5, loved seeing his name in the book, but said, "My hair doesn't look like that!"
On her family's reading routine
There's nothing I love more than getting home in time to read to my kids. I thought June, who is almost 2, would enjoy books that James did at that age. But she wants nothing to do with Blueberries for Sal or Goodnight Moon. She's obsessed with Elmo, so we'd bought up all the Sesame Street books. James can read on his own. His cousins got him into the Dog Man series.
On what she's reading now
I read legal briefs and court transcripts for work, so I'm looking for something uplifting when I get to read for pleasure. My colleague, Hoda Kotb, recommended The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest, and I'm about to crack it open.