A Small Brave Me

Ages 4–8 Preschool–Grade 3 A read-aloud picture book for young kids

Being yourself does not mean being different on purpose—and it does not mean matching on purpose.

At a bright community maker studio, Nell sees friends choosing bold paintings, quick rhythms, shiny stickers, silver capes, and tall wooden towers. Sometimes Nell likes the same thing. Sometimes she chooses something different. Sometimes she is still deciding.

A Small Brave Me is a warm picture book for children ages 4–8 about self-confidence, individuality, peer influence, and making honest choices while respecting other people. Clear first-person language gives children a practical sequence they can remember: notice, ask, name, choose.

Children practice how to:

• Notice what keeps catching their attention
• Ask whether they truly like something or only want to match
• Say “I like this,” “Not for me,” or “I’m still deciding”
• Disagree kindly without treating another choice as wrong
• Learn from friends without becoming a copy
• Make one honest choice and allow preferences to change

Warm hand-painted illustrations follow Nell, Maya, and Theo through creative spaces filled with clay, paper, music, costumes, movement, and building. Friendship never depends on choosing the same thing, and being yourself is never presented as disagreeing just to stand out.

Created for family reading, preschool and elementary classrooms, libraries, school counseling, and social-emotional learning discussions. Includes a simple practice page children can try: Notice. Ask. Name. Choose.

A Small Brave Me is Book 3 in the Small Brave Things series. Each standalone book explores one feeling, one small choice, and one thing a child can try.