I Promise

by LeBron James, Niña Mata (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

NBA champion and cultural icon LeBron James makes his picture book debut with his inspirational and approachable “I Promise” pledge. Beautifully illustrated by Nina Mata, LeBron’s I Promise follows a diverse group of children and encourages them to be resilient, respectful, imaginative and, above all, true to themselves. No matter who you are or where you’re from, kindness and acceptance can lead to excellence. Perfect for the classroom and at home, this timeless, important message is great for teaching life lessons, graduations, birthdays and many other occasions.

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! An Instant Indie Bestseller! 

*An Amazon Best Book of the Year * A B&N Best Book of the Year*

A great gift for tiny go-getters and big dreamers, including for back to school!

NBA champion and superstar LeBron James pens a slam-dunk picture book inspired by his foundation’s I PROMISE program that motivates children everywhere to always #StriveForGreatness.

Just a kid from Akron, Ohio, who is dedicated to uplifting youth everywhere, LeBron James knows the key to a better future is to excel in school, do your best, and keep your family close.

I Promise is a lively and inspiring picture book that reminds us that tomorrow’s success starts with the promises we make to ourselves and our community today.

Featuring James’s upbeat, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations perfectly crafted for a diverse audience by #1 New York Times bestselling and Geisel Honor winning artist Nina Mata, this book has the power to inspire all children and families to be their best.

Perfect for shared reading in and out of the classroom, I Promise is also a great gift for graduation, birthdays, and other occasions.

Plus check out the audiobook, read by LeBron James's mother and I Promise School supporter Gloria James!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062971067
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

LeBron James is widely considered to be the best basketball player in the world and one of the greatest players of all time. James has won four NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, and four league MVP titles. James grew up in Akron, Ohio, where he continues to create generational change through his LeBron James Family Foundation that focuses its efforts on helping youth achieve a better future through education. In 2018, his foundation opened the I PROMISE School, designed to help underprivileged students and their entire families succeed in school and beyond. 

Niña Mata is a children's bookmaker and New York Times bestselling illustrator. Her books include She’s Got This; I Absolutely, Positively Love My Spots; I Promise and I Am More Than (both by LeBron James); and the Ty’s Travels series, including the Geisel Honor Book Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! New is her authorial picture book debut. Visit her at ninamata.com. 

Editorial Reviews

09/07/2020

Dedicated to the families that James’s foundation, I Promise, serves in the NBA star’s Ohio hometown, this picture book delivers an uplifting message to children, emphasizing accountability and persistence. The text takes the form of a rhythmic first-person pledge: “I promise to ask questions/ and find answers,/ to believe in next time and second chances.” Disembarking from the school bus, the children attend class, have fun at recess, and partake in extracurricular activities. Lively digital art by Mata features expressive characters of color spending time at school, on basketball courts, and at the playground. The illustrations infuse the book with heart, reflecting a contemporary neighborhood that effectively represents the racial makeup of many U.S. cities. Back matter includes an author’s note about the I Promise school and a further distilled list of goals. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"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

From the Publisher

"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

09/01/2020

Gr 1–4—I Promise School is a public elementary school in Akron that is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation. In this debut picture book, readers learn of the vows of these young students to improve their lives and achieve their goals. With rhyming text, the narrative follows a group of students of varied races throughout their day: "I promise to be open and try new things and enjoy the happy that change can bring." In this school, children help one another when they fall down on the playground, support studying hard, and stand up for what is right. Of course, there are a few basketball idioms thrown in for good measure such as; "I promise to run full court," and "I promise to throw the alley-oop and uplift others on the spot." The conclusion of the book has a note from James and a set of promises for readers. Colorful, digital illustrations are cheerful and complement the text nicely. VERDICT An optional purchase, this is nevertheless an inspiring look at what one celebrity is doing to better the world.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Reviews

LeBron James’s mother, Gloria James, gives authenticity to this audiobook by the NBA champion and cultural icon. In a rich, clear voice, she narrates his upbeat, motivational “I Promise” pledge, which encourages kids to be resilient, respectful, imaginative, hardworking, persistent, and true to themselves. James uses Black vernacular pronunciations throughout (for example, “ax” instead of “ask”). While this brings a sense of warmth and realness to the narration, James’s performance lacks dramatic power. The rhyming cadence can sound repetitive without pauses or vocal variation to signal emphasis. Nevertheless, even without the illustrations, the words will inspire kids to think about their own futures and strive for greatness. A closing note helps listeners develop their own promises to themselves and their communities. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

LeBron James’s mother, Gloria James, gives authenticity to this audiobook by the NBA champion and cultural icon. In a rich, clear voice, she narrates his upbeat, motivational “I Promise” pledge, which encourages kids to be resilient, respectful, imaginative, hardworking, persistent, and true to themselves. James uses Black vernacular pronunciations throughout (for example, “ax” instead of “ask”). While this brings a sense of warmth and realness to the narration, James’s performance lacks dramatic power. The rhyming cadence can sound repetitive without pauses or vocal variation to signal emphasis. Nevertheless, even without the illustrations, the words will inspire kids to think about their own futures and strive for greatness. A closing note helps listeners develop their own promises to themselves and their communities. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile