Never Give Up

The lessons in the story aren’t diluted for the book’s younger audience but rather are presented in a mature way for them to wrestle with...The characters’ diversity is presented with maturity and subtlety. The cultural differences between the children aren’t used as a learning device to explain the important of self-confidence.

Though Cole employs a straightforward approach to telling the stories [in the I'm A Great Little Kid series], their content is anything but simplistic. The author provides plenty of fodder for course content for character-education programs and thought-provoking and insightful classroom discussions about ethics, morals and values.

In Never Give Up, a commendable and refreshing touch is that Nadia's wearing of the hijab figures naturally and subtly. A cast of multicultural characters populates the supportive environments depicted in Qin Leng's sensitive illustrations.

... [Qin] Leng’s sensitive and occasionally humorous illustrations create a warm, supportive, and diverse environment (Nadia’s headscarf suggests she is Muslim, though it doesn’t factor into the plot) for this encouraging story to unfold.

Never Give Up is an excellent story for bedtime, and it’s great for use for bigger conversations with kids about self esteem, bullying, and learning new things.

Kathryn Cole’s messages in Never Give Up and Reptile Flu are so positive and told in such familiar scenarios that all young readers will easily find themselves empathizing with the characters who try to develop new skills or face difficulties with communication. And, even better, they will actually see themselves in the book, so incredibly inclusive in the families displayed and the skin, clothing, names, and body types of the children within.