Keep a Little Light: Stories for the Girl Who Carries It All

By Mia Cheng

For the girl who carries everyone but herself.

She's the one who remembers. The one who minds the little ones, manages the moods, holds the whole family together - and is quietly tired in a way no one quite sees. She's the eldest daughter, and she has been told, in a hundred small ways, that this is simply who she is.

Keep a Little Light is a collection of 18 warm, true-to-life stories for that girl. Each one follows an eldest daughter from a different culture - Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Malay, Japanese, and more - through a moment she'll recognise at once: the invisible work no one counts, the guilt of resting, the worry carried too young, the self that gets lost inside the role. And in each, a grandmother who walked the very same road offers the words this girl most needs to hear.

There's Andrea, learning she is allowed to be a child too. Soyeon, discovering that a kind "no" is still kind. Mai, finding a piece of herself that belongs to no one else. And, running through them all like a lantern passed hand to hand, one steady truth: you are loved for who you are, not only for what you carry.

18 short, illustrated stories - perfect for ages 10-15Authentic names, families, and cultures, drawn with care"Think About It" questions in every story to spark real conversationThemes: identity, rest, boundaries, self-worth, family, and quiet courage

A gift for every eldest daughter - and for the grown-ups who want to help her set some of it down.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H7PYQ51R
• ISBN13: 9798185659526
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"