A really nice and simple story about forgiveness but no less impactful. My children enjoyed this very much and it facilitated great discussion afterwards.

I didn’t like this one. It’s just too abrupt. The lesson is the only point of the story and the characters are almost completely blank. If you have read the description you have read the story.
Then there is the complete lack of any Biblical lesson. For a book from a Christian publisher, I was expecting at the very least a verse to back up the lesson with biblical reasons and commands for forgiveness. Instead, the lesson appealed only to our own gratification as the reason for us to forgive those who hurt us.
I received this book as a free ARC through NetGalley and Harvest House Publisher. No favorable review was required. These are my honest opinions.

This was a good little story that has a strong focus on both teamwork, anger and forgiveness.

I thought that the book handled the topics well but I did find the story was a bit disjointed and it didn’t have a great natural flow which made it hard to follow.

That said I thought that the images in the book were nice, bright and clear and I think that really helped carry the story - it is 3 stars from me for this one

“Carson Chooses Forgiveness” by Tony and Lauren Dungy was a cute story with a good message. Tony Dungy is known as a great coach and mentor and this book seems to be his way to mentor children and young athletes from a distance. I loved the message to kids about how to treat others, and about forgiveness but is fell short of what I expect from children's books. The players who were upset with the ball hog used passive-aggressive behavior to hurt the team as a whole but avoiding the problem and trying to get back at the player who hurt their feelings. Instead of facing the problem head on, they tried a behaviour which was just as destructive. Unfortunately, I think this is often the way children do react, so I don't think they need to see it in practise. Although the problem is resolved and everyone learns a lesson, it did not have the punch to hold my grandson's attention. The illustrations were fun and they were one of the things I really liked about this story. Perhaps this would be a book that work better with older children.

Good book with a lesson on good sportsmanship and talking things out instead of trying to get back at someone. I would recommend this book for parents or teachers.

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review. Daniel is the star player on the team and thinks he’s better than the other players. His teammates decide to teach him a lesson and in the end they all learn about feelings and communication.

Anger will weaken the whole team, and it won't make anything better. The only way to move on from your anger is to forgive each other.

Dungy is well known for his strong character on and off the field. One of the best coaches and well regarded by many that have worked with him. He brings a good message about team work and the attitude on the field. Daniel a young player on the team is a ball hog and the other players retaliate and it hurts the whole team. It is when the coaches intervene and teach on forgiveness. Carson and the other players learn a valuable lesson on unity and working together.

There is an elephant in the room with this. I had read this the first on my kindle and didn't really see it. I saw a team with problems working together. I read it a second time and it was the full book and I noticed that this was a racial issue. Black, white and Asian. I have to say that racism is a problem no matter what color you are. It is a preconceived premise and it needs to be changed. The conception only fuels racism when racism is a heart issue. This may have not been the intent of Dungy but we live in hyper culture and I believe we should avoid adding fuel to the fire. The same lessons need to be learned by all but without pitting one against the other.

A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book is a solid four-stars --- until I get to read the ending! Read on for more info. The illustrations are amazeBALLS. and the characters are believable.

While co-ed teams aren't the norm in our area, I can certainly see this book as an addition to a basketball unit or a conflict-resolution lesson. Unfortunately, with the galley, I didn't get the final score. It doesn't matter if it's a W or an L. The end of the game is an important outcome I'm missing. *Did Carson make his shot?* is a question I'm sure the kids will be asking.

I received an electronic ARC from Harvest House Publishers through NetGalley.
The messages of teamwork and forgiveness come through. The basketball team's hot player doesn't share the ball or work with his teammates. They get angry and ignore him during a game. At halftime, the locker room discussion centers around working together and forgiving each other. The second half starts better.
While this is a realistic situation, the sequence of events doesn't always work. Not sure coaches would let an entire half of a game go by without taking action until half time. Also feel some of the processing would have been done at practices prior to the game. The book works to present the message and should trigger discussion about these points.

“Carson Chooses Forgiveness” by Tony and Lauren Dungy was a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the message it teaches kids first about how to treat others, and then about forgiveness. These are both great themes that kids need to understand. The book also throws in some passive-aggressive behavior where the kids hurt the team as a whole but avoiding the problem and trying to get back at the player who hurt their feelings.

The illustrations were okay, but I didn’t love the comic book feel they had. Each spread of two pages had a different part of the story it communicated, but some of the illustrations seemed to run into each, which was distracting.

Overall, I think the themes addressed were lofty to address for kids, but the concepts needed some more fleshing out. I think it was getting there but at parts things weren’t fully resolved. There were loose ends that didn’t get tied up. I’d say this book was good, but not great.

Hall of Fame former NFL coach Tony Dungy was known throughout his career as someone who not only could mentor athletes to perform better as players, but as someone who was a great example and mentor to teach young players how to grow and be good people off the field. Even in retirement, he's continued to be someone players can turn to, whether they're in trouble or just looking for guidance.

So it's no surprise that he combines sports, teaching, and ethics in this children's book, co-written with his wife. The underlying messages about teamwork, selfishness versus sharing, and anger versus forgiveness, are universal and great for young kids to read about and learn.

As a kids book, CARSON CHOOSES FORGIVENESS has a good message, and is told in a straightforward manner. The illustrations are engaging and help deliver the story. It's a good, re-readable story for little ones (and their parents) and a good teaching tool.

I was left with a feeling however that it could have perhaps leapt from good to great with a bit more 'oomph' to the prose and storytelling, eg that the better children's authors give their stories (while still delivering a great underlying message in many cases). Miss Four enjoyed reading this but wanted a different book afterwards, rather than immediately wanting a re-read again and again.

We will read it another time though. It's a good tale with a good message from a great man.

This is a children's book about forgiveness but I felt it was very contrived and not clear enough for children and young people to follow. The pictures and the texts were not engaging nor were they inspiring. I would not recommend this book.

A pretty good children's read. All about learning the importance of working together as a team. A very important lesson for your little one's to learn. Engaging storyline with colourful illustrations.

I think this book is a perfect example of poor teamwork and great teamwork. It encourages good conflict resolution between all the teammates. I also liked that it encouraged healthy emotional expression of both boys and girls. The illustrations were also very nice.

Thank You Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.