From the Publisher
"An inspiring look at what one celebrity is doing to better the world." — School Library Journal
"The NBA star offers a poem that encourages curiosity, integrity, compassion, courage, and self-forgiveness. Sincere and wholehearted." — Kirkus Reviews
"This is a message book your kids will love." — NPR.org
"Perfect for the classroom and at home, this timeless, important message is great for teaching life lessons, graduations, birthdays and many other occasions." — barnesandnoble.com
[T]his picture book delivers an uplifting message to children, emphasizing accountability and persistence....The illustrations infuse the book with heart, reflecting a contemporary neighborhood that effectively represents the racial makeup of many U.S. cities. — Publishers Weekly
NPR.org
"This is a message book your kids will love."
barnesandnoble.com
"Perfect for the classroom and at home, this timeless, important message is great for teaching life lessons, graduations, birthdays and many other occasions."
Kirkus Reviews
2020-06-16
The NBA star offers a poem that encourages curiosity, integrity, compassion, courage, and self-forgiveness.
James makes his debut as a children’s author with a motivational poem touting life habits that children should strive for. In the first-person narration, he provides young readers with foundational self-esteem encouragement layered within basketball descriptions: “I promise to run full court and show up each time / to get right back up and let my magic shine.” While the verse is nothing particularly artful, it is heartfelt, and in her illustrations, Mata offers attention-grabbing illustrations of a diverse and enthusiastic group of children. Scenes vary, including classrooms hung with student artwork, an asphalt playground where kids jump double Dutch, and a gym populated with pint-sized basketball players, all clearly part of one bustling neighborhood. Her artistry brings black and brown joy to the forefront of each page. These children evince equal joy in learning and in play. One particularly touching double-page spread depicts two vignettes of a pair of black children, possibly siblings; in one, they cuddle comfortably together, and in the other, the older gives the younger a playful noogie. Adults will appreciate the closing checklist of promises, which emphasize active engagement with school. A closing note very generally introduces principles that underlie the Lebron James Family Foundation’s I Promise School (in Akron, Ohio). (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 15% of actual size.)
Sincere and wholehearted. (Picture book. 4-8)
