Small stories.
Big courage.
Stories that help children believe in themselves.
Small Grit Stories creates beautifully illustrated children's books about confidence, courage, resilience and growing up.
Our characters don't always get things right. They make mistakes, face setbacks and sometimes wonder whether they're good enough. But they keep going.
Created by educator and author Jason Sharpe, our stories are written for all children, with particular care for reluctant and developing readers.
Brian the Borrowed Bicycle
Written by Jason Sharpe and Illustrated by Heli Pohjoisaho
"Success doesn't always mean being the best."
Meet Brian the Borrowed Bicycle
Brian the Borrowed Bicycle
Jason Sharpe & Heli Pohjoisaho
Brian isn't the newest bicycle. He isn't the shiniest. And he certainly isn't the fastest. But when Brian enters the school bike race, he has one very important goal: to finish.
As the other bikes race ahead, things begin to go wrong. His chain slips. His handlebars wobble. His tyre starts to ache.
Stopping would be easy. Instead, Brian keeps going.
Brian the Borrowed Bicycle, written by Jason Sharpe and illustrated by Heli Pohjoisaho, is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book about perseverance, confidence and discovering that success doesn't always mean being the best.
Perfect for:
Children aged approximately 5–9, families looking for positive stories about confidence and resilience, reluctant or developing readers, classroom discussions about perseverance and self-belief, and anyone who sometimes needs reminding that progress is worth celebrating.
Stories for growing minds
Children don't always need another story about being the fastest, strongest or best.
Sometimes they need stories about characters who struggle.
Characters who wobble.
Characters who make mistakes.
Characters who look around and wonder whether everyone else is doing better than they are.
And characters who discover that they can carry on anyway.
That's what Small Grit Stories is about.
Our books explore some of the big emotions and experiences children encounter as they grow: confidence, comparison, perseverance, failure, courage and self-belief, through accessible stories and memorable characters.
Created with reluctant readers in mind
Not every child finds reading easy.
For some children, a page filled with text can feel like a challenge before the story has even begun.
Small Grit Stories are designed to make reading feel inviting and achievable, using accessible language, manageable sections of text and engaging illustrations that help carry the story.
We create our books for all children, with particular care for those who may struggle with reading, confidence, or traditional learning environments.
Because every child deserves the opportunity to discover a story they want to finish.