Perseverance picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Perseverance Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4uwhciS .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
Mabel and the Mountain: A Story About Believing in Yourself
by Kim Hillyard (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Mabel is a small fly with big plans:
1. Climb a mountain.
2. Host a dinner party.
3. Make friends with a shark.
Although her friends do not support her at the beginning, Mabel believes in herself and learns to take small steps at a time to accomplish her goals. Mabel’s confidence rubs off on her fly friends who come up with their own goals.
Comments: A very cute story of perseverance, self-confidence, and grit. Young readers will root for little Mabel to not give up and climb her mountain.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game
by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)
Brief summary: Judit and her sisters were trained by their parents to play chess. They competed, with Judit being the youngest. She won junior tournaments against adults. Judit and her family went to the USA, where she competed in games against adults and won. Her goal was to become the youngest grandmaster. She returned to Budapest to study and became the national champion of Hungary. Will Judit’s chess journey lead her to her goal?
Comments: The back pages include Timeline and The Mathematics of Chess.
This is an inspirational story of encouragement, hard work, and perseverance.
Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.