If you want to try new things, you have to be brave. But you can’t be brave without also being scared.

While Jennie grew up wanting to please other people, Abram followed his heart from an early age. The two couldn’t have been more different, and yet when they met Jennie fell in love with Abram’s fearlessness.

But when life takes a turn for the worst and Abram is no longer by Jennie’s side, will she find her own courage?

This poignant and heart-felt picture book explores themes of love, grief and believing in yourself in a gentle and uplifting way. With a contemporary setting and characters which many readers will see themselves in, this book is great for inspiring little ones and starting important conversations.

Becoming Brave is a children’s book all about, as you might imagine from the title, learning to be brave and understanding that to be brave also means you have to be scared.

The story is quite autobiographical as it tells the story of the author, Jennie, starting with her childhood in Malaysia and meeting her partner Abram who taught her how to be brave. When Abram dies Jennie has to be brave to live every day whilst feeling sad and upset. She also uses her bravery to start up a charity in Abram’s name.

The book is very short and quick to read, it took me less than 2 minutes. It is beautifully adorned with glorious illustrations and the message of being brave is very important, however, whilst I loved the story I felt it needed a little more information on how children can be brave, apart from ‘following your dreams’. The story is more about how the author felt and less about teaching children to be brave.

Overall, Becoming Brave is a poignant, sweet book and it was lovely to learn more about Jennie, Abram, and the charity that is helping creative kids to shine.

Jennie’s background is in arts fundraising and working with young people, which is how she met her late husband, the acclaimed jazz trumpeter Abram Wilson. The pair worked on numerous projects together up until Abram’s passing in 2012, after which Jennie set up the Abram Wilson charity – an organisation which opens doors to the music industry for minoritised young talent.

The organisation has grown to work with over 200 performing artists and Jennie has gone on to win a WACL Future Leader Award. This is Jennie’s first children’s book.