Book fosters kids’ ambition

Broome resident and Notre Dame University clinical supervisor Deborah Courtney has penned an uplifting children’s book, Am I good enough, published earlier this month.

The uplifting children’s book, published by independent American firm Balboa Press, discusses the idea that children should be encouraged to dream big about future careers and aims to inspire positive self-development at a young age.

It follows the journey of a boy called Benjamin as he ponders various professions in his future, including joining the police, becoming a doctor, nurse and even an acrobat.

Courtney, who has three sons Aiden, 4, Isaac, 6 and Oscar, 9, said the novel is fleetingly based around her children and promotes self-belief.

“Every parent’s responsibility is to instil the idea into the children that they can be, do and have anything they want in life,” she said.

Courtney said despite parents having the best intentions for their children sometimes they could pigeon-hole their offspring into selected careers.

“(Children) can achieve anything if they have a passion for it,” she said.

The nursing mentor had been considering writing the novel when she moved to Broome in 2013 from Port Hedland and previously Perth; however, she only put pen to paper in 2015.

“I had it in my head about two years prior that I did want to write a children’s book for the younger ages, dealing with early development,” she said.

“I think there are many people saying ‘this is my lot in life, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing’ and thinking there are no options, but this is just saying there are so many options — if that’s your passion, that’s great but if it’s not then don’t stay in it.”