How do you inspire children to be brave and go for their dreams? You do so by teaching them about brave people who have accomplished great things in their lifetime!

Mother and author, Tiffany Trotter, found a way to do just that. Inspired by her daughter, Trotter wrote her first book in a series called Brave Little Firsts, where she highlights the great firsts of people in history. The book series falls under her brand, Brave Self Starter, where she helps people who are motivated by success and driven by a passion for helping others.

Her definition of a brave self-starter includes someone  willing to take risks and has the tenacity to try again after learning from failures.

Through her brand, she helps newcomers to America as they attempt to understand their new environment through money management, building and developing their business, and as career development.

First Book In The Series

Trotter announced the launch of her first book, Brave Little Firsts: True Stories of Amazing Women Who Changed the World in 2018 and it was published in 2019. It is an illustrated children’s book designed to share the inspiring stories of women who were the first to accomplish historic achievements. The book tells stories ranging from the first woman to fly to space to the first female doctor. Brave Little Firsts introduces readers to trailblazers and barrier breakers who dared to be brave.

“Brave Little Firsts highlights the fact that so many barriers and obstacles have prevented women from achieving greatness, yet these amazing women were more determined than the stop signs placed in their way,” Trotter tells FunTimes Magazine.

The book features 25 true stories of past and present firsts. Children will learn about women like Gertrude Elderly, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, explorer and adventurer Aloha Wanderwell, the first woman to drive around the world, Alice Stebbins Wells, the first female police officer, and Kay Cottee, the first woman to sail around the world solo.

Each story has an easy-to-read full-page biography and a full-color illustration that captures the spirit of the “brave little first”.

“Many of these women faced struggles and opposition, but they never gave up,” says Trotter. “They didn’t necessarily set out to be pioneers or innovators, but they were driven by passion and a love for their craft. “These women should be celebrated, and their stories should be shared with children to motivate, uplift, and encourage, she continues.”

In a time where gender roles and traditions continuously face challenges, Brave Little Firsts tells the stories of how women overcame gender barriers to excel and pursue rewarding careers.

Their stories are an inspiring way to teach children that even though there may be obstacles, great things can be done through hard work, perseverance, and determination.

“Those are the lessons I want to teach my daughter and children like her. I believe that if they learn about bravery and brave people in history at an early stage, they will have examples to lean on whenever their drive to be great gets challenged. I want them to grow up being confident, encouraged, and undeterred by naysayers,” says Trotter.

She reports that the book was the #1 new release on Amazon in the children’s category.

In 2020, Trotter gave away copies of the e-book to children, saying “that was when children were forced to leave their physical school space due to the initial worldwide rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone was at home and I’m sure they were losing hope of the future. I wanted to inspire them to be brave despite the situation.” 

Brave Little Firsts: True Stories of Amazing Women Who Changed the World is available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. It is sold in two formats, the e-book version and a paperback version.

A ‘Brave’ Future

“I want to write a sequel to my first book,” says Trotter. “It will definitely follow the theme of bravery. Being a Jamaican representing my country and the Caribbean region in general, I want to do something related to and in honor of Caribbean women in the series of the brave firsts,” she tells FunTimes Magazine.

Tiffany is also interested in helping people who are interested in self-publishing in the United States through Brave Self Starter.

“I plan to put together a package that helps others through the process because I know what it is like to be unsure and experimenting with a whole lot of trial and error. If I have learned how to get it done, why not teach others how to?” she says.

 Candice Stewart is a Jamaican content writer specializing in human interest feature stories. She is a web content writer, blogger, and budding podcaster. 

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