A children's author has published a feminist book for four to seven-year-olds.

Mel Elliott said her latest book Pearl Power tells the tale of a feisty young girl striving for gender equality.

Inspired by and named after her five-year-old daughter, Mrs Elliott said she wrote the story to take a stand against stereotyping.

She said: “One day my daughter said boys would be doctors and girls would be nurses.

“She had obviously heard that type of stereotype somewhere and it made me really angry and upset.

“I worried that even if young girls and boys may not understand what it meant, they were growing up being taught those types of beliefs were right.

“I want Pearl to know she can be whatever she wants to be and she doesn’t have to conform to a gender stereotype.

“I want her to know women can be doctors, and equally that men can be nurses.

“I went to bed thinking about this and woke up at 3am with the idea and quickly jotted down the basis of the story on my phone. I wanted it to be a story to empower young girls.”

In the story Pearl’s mother is a career woman with a successful job and is independent and self-sufficient. As Pearl starts school she meets a boy who teases her for doing things “like a girl” but she decides to use her superpowers of confidence and kindness to take his words in her stride.

The 41-year-old author and illustrator said: “He tells her she runs, throws and does maths like a girl, but she just smiles and says thank you – taking it as a compliment so he has no effect on her.”

She believes advertising, merchandise and other children’s literature is to blame for gender stereotyping.

She said: “There is a massive problem with gender stereotypes in children’s books and merchandise. They are pink for girls and blue for boys.

“Girl toys being about beauty and fashion and boy toys are about mechanics and sport. It is just a selling tool.”

Mrs Elliott has already published number of colouring books and stories including one about Harry Styles from pop band One Direction under the publishing brand she owns with her husband based in Breeds Place, Hastings.