Looking back at a younger self · ages 6–10

When You Were Little, starring your child.

A story for the child who is big now, about the child they used to be. The first night in a big bed, the deep end, the wobbly tooth, the lost balloon: the brave things little your child did before they knew they were brave. Told to them the way a parent tells it.

For the child who has grown, from the parent who remembers.

Type the name, pick boy or girl, add a dedication if you like, and send the order. We confirm by email and the 11-page PDF, in two editions, follows within one working day. $99.

N° 01What this story teaches

You have been brave before, many times, before you even had the word for it. So you can be brave again.

Choose this one when

A child facing a new big thing: a school move, an exam, a hard year, a change at home
A child who has lost confidence and needs reminding who they are
An older child, 6 to 10, who is past picture books but not past being told about themselves

What your child takes away

Courage isn't something you have to find. It's already yours. Here is the proof, from when you were small.

A note for parents

This one is told to the child, not about a character, so it lands as a message from you. It suits a father or mother who wants to say "I saw you be brave, and I remember" without a speech. If your child is going through something hard right now, this is the one.

N° 02Personalize it

Make it theirs

Child's name

The story is about a

Dedication (optional, printed on the first page)0/280

$99PDF · sent by email

11 pages: cover, dedication page, 8 story pages, back page.
Two PDFs: screen edition and 8×8 in print edition with bleed.
The button opens our order form with these details filled in. We confirm by email, you pay by invoice, and the PDF follows within one working day.
Name and dedication are the only changes. The story and art are fixed.

When You Were Little cover — When You Were LittleA story starring Mia

Before you were big, Mia, you were small. So small that the kitchen table was a roof, and the stairs were a mountain, and the world stopped at the end of our street. This is a story about that girl. It is a true one.

Do you remember the wobbly tooth? You wouldn't let anyone near it for a week. Then one night you looked in the mirror, and you wiggled it, and you pulled it out yourself. You put it under the pillow and told nobody until morning.

So when the next big thing comes, and it will, remember the girl in this book. The bed. The pool. The tooth. The balloon. The roundabout. You've been brave since before you could spell it. You can do it again.

Cover and three of the eight story pages, with Mia's name in place. The paid file has every page.

N° 03What you get

A finished picture book

Cover, dedication page and eight illustrated story pages, with the name in every scene where it belongs. Same painterly art in the boy and girl versions.

Two PDFs, one price

A screen edition for tablets and home printing, and an 8×8 inch print edition at 300 DPI with bleed and trim box for any print shop.

What it isn't

The story, the art and the character are fixed. If you want a book written about a specific child, from a photo, that is the custom courage book at $799.

N° 04Other courage stories

The First Day

First day of school

The Quiet Hand

Speaking up in class

Nobody Sits Alone

Standing up for someone

Two Wheels

Trying something new

The Blue Bowl

Being honest when it's hard

Want a story written about your child specifically? The custom courage book