When was the last time your child’s bedtime story included details on the book’s main character crashing her two-wheeler and her mom recording the entire incident on an iPhone?
Not exactly Goodnight Moon, but this is 2012, baby.
If you are looking for a book modern-day kids can really relate to, then My Brave Year of Firsts is sure to be a fast favorite.
While the playfully written page-turner has a classic theme–celebrating the triumphs and tribulations associated with a child’s major milestones–its approach is far from traditional.
Actress turned bestselling children’s book author Jamie Lee Curtis and award-winning illustrator Laura Cornell target 21st century kids with their colorful tale featuring extrovert Frankie asserting her youthful independence with heaping doses of innocence and courage.
The spunky first grader learns how to ride a bike (sans training wheels), makes new friends, picks out a pet, tries “yucky” foods, visits the library and journeys around the block with a cellphone and no adult, all for the very first time.
Of course, not all firsts yield positive results. For example, when Frankie gets caught taking her classmate’s pencil she experiences her first in-school punishment–no recess. Meanwhile, becoming a pet owner for the first time also brings with it a slew of other firsts, like picking up poop.
Curtis uses silly rhymes to get young readers enthused about Frankie’s fun-filled firsts:
“I tried for the first time to taste my mom’s truffles / that apparently come from when pigs use their snuffles.”
Kids will also smile seeing milk squirt out of Frankie’s nose and watching as the normally nimble little girl gets terribly tangled up in her jump rope.
The humorous adventures continue throughout the book along with whimsical illustrations that engage kids and their parents. In the end, readers of all ages learn the importance of passion, patience and perseverance.
To get a taste of Frankie’s fantastic firsts, head over to HarperCollins’ website or pick up a copy of My Brave Year of Firsts at book stores nationwide.
Other great books we love to read:
Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet