Zoe Kolovos has more main character energy than most.

The five-year-old girl from Shepparton is the daughter of Michelle Kolovos, the granddaughter of Patsy Lansdown, and the star of the children’s book that the duo recently co-authored and published.

“Zoe was our inspiration,” Ms Kolovos said.

“She likes to sing and dance, and likes to perform, so that gave us the inspiration for the storyline.”

Titled Zoe’s Spectacular Concert, the picture book tells the story of Zoe, a little girl who puts on a magical concert for her toys and loved ones, with a playfulness that echoes their muse.

The book serves as a springboard to what the pair hopes will be a series, each featuring lessons about bravery, strength, friendship and self-belief.

“The message in the book is never give up … you can find the magic within yourself and do it for yourself,” Ms Kolovos said.

It wasn’t always intended for public page-turning.

Before the first word was jotted down, the concept existed solely as a labour of love — a passion project between parent and child.

“It sounds a bit corny, but we wanted to do something for Zoe that she could potentially pass down to her kids,” Ms Kolovos said.

“Then it just grew legs, got bigger and bigger, and here we are now.”

Here they are indeed — with Zoe’s Spectacular Concert stocked at Australia Post outlets, local bookstores, online at Booktopia and Amazon Australia, and continuing to gather pace, as Ms Lansdown proudly notes, “in Europe as well”.

“Walmart has recently picked it up — it’s quite an achievement to get that far already,” she said.

For the authors, the process has been as rewarding as the outcome, further strengthening their already strong mother-daughter bond.

And as for Zoe?

She’s the top reader in her class — and continues to exude main character energy.

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Sunday, 7th May 2023

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