Bravery is not loud: Why I wrote Niko the Brave Step

Bravery Isn’t Loud

When we talk about bravery, we usually picture something big.

Someone charging ahead. Someone fearless. Someone loud.

But that’s not how bravery usually shows up for kids.

Most of the time, it looks like hesitation.

A pause.

A moment of doubt before doing something anyway.

That idea stayed with me while I was working on Niko and the Brave Step.

Niko is a small knight standing at the edge of a very large arena. Others rush past him. They seem ready. Confident. Niko isn’t. He feels the weight of his shield and the size of what’s in front of him.

So he waits.

Not because he’s weak but because he’s taking it in.

I wanted to make a story that doesn’t rush children past that moment. A story that doesn’t treat fear as something to get over quickly, but as something that can exist alongside courage.

As parents and teachers, we often tell kids to “be brave,” but we don’t always acknowledge how hard that can feel. Especially when they’re small. Especially when the world feels big.

This book is meant to open up space for that conversation.

It’s a quiet story. The words are simple. The pictures do a lot of the talking. And that’s on purpose. I wanted children to feel the story before they fully understand it.

For parents, it’s a gentle bedtime read.

For teachers, it’s a way to talk about courage without pressure.

For kids, it’s a reminder that bravery doesn’t mean being the biggest it means choosing to take one step forward when you’re ready.

That’s what Niko does.

And sometimes, that’s enough.