An author with ties to Sterling is sharing a message of inclusion and empowerment through a pair of new children’s books inspired by his daughter’s real-life courage.

In recognition of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, author and Sterling High School alumnus Josh Binder has released two new children’s books in his “Mighty Maddie” series – “Mighty Maddie’s Big Game” and “Mighty Maddie’s Big Dance Show.”

Binder drew inspiration for the series from his daughter Madison, who was born with Down syndrome and several congenital heart defects. He focuses the books on themes of courage, kindness and self-belief. Binder hopes the books will encourage young readers to see their unique abilities rather than disabilities and to find their own kind of “mighty” in everyday life.

“When Maddie was born, it was just one of those things l thought would be cool to do someday,” Binder told Shaw Local. “I was trying to get a positive message out, while using my daughter as the inspiration, because Down syndrome has a stereotype around it. I thought this would be a cool way to spread the message that people with Down syndrome are just as capable as anyone else, and bring awareness to that.”

Each new story draws inspiration from someone close to Maddie. In “Mighty Maddie’s Big Game,” Maddie draws motivation from her older brother, Wes, and discovers a love of basketball. In “Mighty Maddie’s Big Dance Show,” she admires her cousin Keni and dreams of becoming a great dancer like her.

“These stories are about spreading positive words for individuals not just with Down syndrome, but for anyone born with a unique ability or something that makes them feel different,” Binder said. “Those are the very things that make you special – and make you strong.”

Binder said the process of publishing his books was largely one of trial and error. With no formal background in publishing, he leaned on a few friends and colleagues with experience in the book world for guidance, but much of what he learned came from teaching himself. Using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform, he figured out each step of the process, using a few AI tools to help bring the illustrations to life.

“The writing part was the easiest because I had a story that I wanted to tell with Maddie and our son Wes, her big brother,” Binder said. “It was putting it all together, which was a process of trial and error, eventually getting it to something we thought was worthwhile to share.”

Binder admitted that he did not originally intend to write more than one book.

He said the first installment began as a personal experiment to see if he could even complete the process. But after working through the details of self-publishing and finally holding the finished copy in his hands, he realized he wanted to do more.

Once the book began gaining attention online and readers started reaching out with positive feedback, Binder saw an opportunity to expand the series and share his family’s story with a wider audience. He said his daughter’s reaction to the books has been one of the biggest motivations to keep going.

“She goes, ‘My Maddie stories, my Maddie stories.’ She lights up when she sees them.” Binder said, adding that he often shows her other cover ideas to get her reaction. “She loves them. She’s taken them to her school, and you can tell she’s proud of them.”

He currently is working on the next title in the series, “Mighty Maddie Stands Tall.”

“I’ve got a couple other entries in the works too,” Binder said. “We definitely plan on releasing more, but I want to keep the stories in a framework from Maddie. We want her life to dictate the stories. So as she does more, we will do more.”

Binder said one of his goals for the series is to make the books available to families who have just received a Down syndrome diagnosis. He said that when his family first got the news, organizations like the National Association for Down Syndrome provided support through care baskets and resources for new parents.

“One of our goals is to get these books to families so that when they get the news and they’re scared, like we were, they can read a book about this girl, Madison, who has Down syndrome and is thriving and doing her thing,” Binder said. “It’s just another way to hopefully spread some positivity and let families know there’s a lot of sunshine on the other side of this.”

Binder also helps run Outwork Elite, a youth basketball program that organizes travel teams and offers skill-development camps and training sessions for boys and girls. The program’s events draw hundreds of young athletes eager to sharpen their skills, build confidence and share their love of the game.

“Mighty Maddie’s Big Game” and “Mighty Maddie’s Big Dance Show” are available on Amazon. Learn more at OutworkElite.com or on Facebook and Instagram via @OutworkElite and @MightyMaddie.