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Gaines said that she would tell that little girl \"to be kind to herself because the world needs exactly who she was made to be.\" She encouraged her followers to embrace that same message of self-love.

\"I hope you find the courage to embrace all that you are—all of your quirks, all of your beauty, all of your brilliance—because the world needs YOU,\" she wrote.

The author also shared a hilarious updated version of the throwback photo. \"Not much has changed and I'll probably regret this photo but it's worth saying again kids... the world needs who you were made to be!\" she captioned her post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines)

\"The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be,\" released Tuesday, is Gaines' second children's book.

She previously said the book serves as \"a reminder for kids and adults alike that no matter who you are, where you are from, or what your story is, the world needs YOU.\"

Gaines released her first children's book, \"We Are the Gardeners\" in 2019, and it became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. She has also written two cookbooks, her best-selling 2018 book, \"Magnolia Table,\" and its follow-up, \"Magnolia Table, Volume 2,\" which she released in April.

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