A Is for Ambitious
Inspiring vocabulary and illustrations but difficult rhymes.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Is for Ambitious, by Meena Harris, is an uplifting, colorful picture book with challenging vocabulary and a great message of support and inspiration for young readers. The rhyming is a little tough to follow and can be hard to read aloud, but the positivity and message of perseverance are wonderful. The illustrations from Marissa Valdez are delightfully engaging. The diverse characters vary in race and ability, and the expressions on the faces and the movement on the pages leap toward readers.
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What's the Story?
A IS FOR AMBITIOUS is an ABC book of rhymes full of powerful messages about working hard toward your goals and supporting others who are doing the same. Each letter of the alphabet -- O is for opinionated, P is for Persistent, Q is for Quirky -- is on colorful pages, helping readers see ambition in a positive light.
Is It Any Good?
The illustrations are engaging and inclusive and the message is wonderfully inspiring, but the uneven rhyming makes this picture book a little hard to follow. In A Is for Ambitious, words such as "determined," "headstrong," "intense," and "vulnerable" are a great framework for talking about what that means in everyday life. The sentences that go with those letters, however, are a bumpy read and are hard to follow. This is a great book for discussions in families and groups, and introduces some helpful vocabulary ("unyielding," "emotional") not often seen in young readers' picture books.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they want to do in their lives, like the people in A Is for Ambitious. What jobs interest you? What do you like to learn about in school and at home?
What can stand in the way of someone chasing their dreams?
What can we do to help each other achieve and be ambitious?
Book Details
- Author: Meena Harris
- Illustrator: Marissa Valdez
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Activism, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: March 14, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Hardback
- Last updated: March 13, 2023
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