8-Year-Old Pens Book Highlighting Everyday Struggles of Big Sisters
It can be hard to be a big sister.
And 8-year-old Tylan Corley knows first hand. Though she loves being able to help take care of her 4-year-old brother Aaron Corley Jr., there are times it can be frustrating.
The preschooler may just want to fight.
Or he may not listen as well as peers of her own age.
So Tylan used the extra time she had during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to write a book all about her struggles.
She self-published “It’s hard being a big sister” with the help of her entrepreneurial mother LaTisha Corley, and Tylan hopes the story affirms other children who may be dealing with the same thing.
“I felt like I wanted to have something out there so that other big sisters can feel how I feel, and so that they can understand what I’m dealing with,” said a well-spoken Tylan, who is a third-grade honor roll student.
Mom LaTisha Corley, who owns Prepping for Excellence Academy, knew immediately how many other big sisters would relate to this story, so she did all she could to support the young author’s efforts.
The story began on paper Tylan stapled together, her mother assuring her the final product would be a polished, soft-cover book. Corley also helped her daughter select an illustrator for the 30-page story, which Tylan wrote when she was only 7.
From having a front seat for her mother’s entrepreneur journey to publishing a book from scratch, young Tylan has gained a number of valuable skills.
“Tylan just makes me so proud, her future is so bright,” Corley said. “Tylan, as you can tell by how she speaks, is very mature for her age.
“Everything she puts her mind to, she accomplishes. She definitely sets a really good example for her little brother.”
LaTisha Corley on Daughter Tylan
The family plans to further the book’s marketing efforts, as they avoided large crowds due to COVID-19. “It’s hard being a big sister” is available on Amazon, but the Corleys prefer readers to purchase directly from their website to get a signed copy and a memento.
“I hope that they understand what I’m going through and that my book helps them if they have a little brother,” Tylan said about what fellow readers should expect. “I hope that they understand what I’m going through and that I can understand what they’re going through.”