Former Disney star revives the classic princess hero
Actress and producer Leigh-Allyn Baker may have parted ways with Disney, but she’s still in the business of creating entertaining content for children — just not the propaganda-saturated, indoctrinating kind that has come to characterize Disney and other mainstream brands in recent years.
From 2010-2014, Baker played Amy Duncan in the popular Disney sitcom “Good Luck Charlie” — a wholesome series about the hilarious shenanigans of a mom, her husband, and their four kids.
An old-school fairy tale with lessons for today.
While she’s starred in several films and series since her days at Disney, Baker is now embarking on a new journey as a children’s book author.
“Children’s entertainment, children’s programming, and children’s literature is being infiltrated,” she says. “Venturing into children’s books is necessary in order to keep children innocent.”
Her action-packed fantasy book “One Small Little Voice” is a counterstrike against the intentional brainwashing of our children. From a modern perspective, the book is antiestablishment in that it takes us back to the traditional princess — feminine and kind, yet unapologetically bold and courageous.
“A princess’ purpose is to fulfill duties and obligations to people in the kingdom and to set a good example,” says Baker. “A princess should embody the heart of a servant.”
And that’s exactly what protagonist Princess Harmony exudes. She’s the kind of girl who’s “brave and bold” and “[stands] up for truth even though she is afraid.”
While Harmony was written to showcase the “bravery and strength of femininity,” there’s no misandry hidden in the book. As the proud mother of two boys, when it comes to the man-hating modern heroine, Baker says she’s “so tired of it.”
“To lift up one group of people, we don’t have to shut down another,” she says.
Brave Books
When asked about the inspiration behind Princess Harmony’s character, Baker says she was in many ways her own muse.
“The story, although it is a fantasy about a princess, really is my story,” she says. “During COVID, when the world was locked down, shut down, and held captive by fear, I went and spoke out at a school board meeting and seemed to be the only voice in the Hollywood industry that was willing to speak up.”
“I knew I was going to be crushed, I knew I was going to be silenced, I knew I was going to be ostracized, I knew I was going to get death threats, I knew I was going to be labeled a wack job. Even still, I was not going to sit by idly and watch people take over the rights we have over our own bodies,” she says.
After the video of Baker’s message to the school board went viral, “more and more parents were emboldened and came together to speak up for truth and stand in front of evil to protect children.”
Witnessing how her own voice was powerful enough to rally others in the fight for bodily autonomy was the inspiration behind “One Small Little Voice,” which she says she feels “called to share” with a world that’s starving for hope.
“I want people to know that it takes just one voice to stand up for many, and then many will join and be voices of plenty,” she says.
Girl or boy, young or old — that’s a message we all could benefit from.
As our world darkens and the powers that be aim to strip away our freedoms, we need encouraging stories that remind us of the power of our own voices. Even in its most rudimentary forms, literature influences and shapes the mind. Books like “One Small Little Voice” leave our children with a legacy of truth and virtue while simultaneously fighting the indoctrination and propaganda that’s poisoned children’s entertainment.
“The overarching message of this story is that we all must stand for what is right, even if we’re the only one in the room willing to stand, and that courage means speaking the truth, even though you are afraid,” says Baker.
Can we get a resounding amen to that?
“One Small Little Voice” is available for purchase now at bravebooks.us as well as multiple other retailers.
