Beautiful Bravery highlights the true-life fairy tale of a Jewish orphan named Hadassah who becomes Queen Esther of Persia. Through story, drawings, and fun activities, the fascinating biblical story of Queen Esther comes alive and applicable to young girls, who like Esther, were “born for such a time as this.”

Published by Millstone Media 56 pages Ages 5-10 Available at: Thriftbooks, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Amazon, MelissaRossStudio

Signed copies with bookmarks are available at: MELISSA ROSS STUDIO

The Book in the Making

Many years ago, I had an idea for a picture book based on the book of Esther in the Bible. I wrote the story and created the drawings, planning on finishing it within the year. My daughter, who was in high school at the time, posed for Esther and her older brothers for the male characters. I’m thankful for my family’s patience! My husband has modeled for everything from heroes to villains and even climbed onto a rather steep, somewhat dangerous wall for me to capture a good photo to work from when we were first married. Oh, what we do for love.

Life’s demands quickly forced me to set Beautiful Bravery aside and it became buried underneath more urgent projects. About 6 or 7 years passed and I pulled away from the demands long enough to finally create the book. By then, I had decided to make it an interactive book. Now, Beautiful Bravery has a special significance when I turn its pages and see the resemblances of those I love.