My daughter and I absolutely loved reading this book together. She struggles a lot in unfamiliar situations and she said that she identified with the main character with struggling to be brave. Highly recommend this for all children!

Fantastic book to utilize with kids to discuss the many ways to be 'brave,' and how 'brave' may look different from one child to the next. Love this resource as a jumping off point to have classroom discussions about bravery, as well as listening to your body's limitations.

Wanda's big brother Zane is so brave! He does all sorts of scary things that Wanda wants no part of, including riding the Coaster of Doom. When Wanda decides that she will conquer the scary coaster, she spends time practicing bring brave. But maybe, along the way, she learns her own definition of bravery.

This book has a fantastic message for kids about finding the balance between pushing themselves and honoring what they really want. I love that Wanda grew enough to choose for herself what bravery meant to her. It's important for kids to understand that everyone has their own limits and preferences and sometimes the bravest choice is being true to those. This would be a great circle time read for pre-K kids and could spark a lot of great discussions!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

4.5 Stars
Oh, don’t I love this!
Wanda wants to be brave like her big brother and friends. She wants to go on adventures and ride the Coaster of Doom. But can she get over her fear and be brave? Is there only one kind of brave? What does Wanda do?
This cute book comes with great lessons for the little ones:
• There are different kinds of brave
• Be how you are
• Stand up for yourself
• You decide your adventures
In just 32 pages, the book takes us through Wanda’s journey from being timid and scared to conquering her fears in her own way. She is braver than brave, but on her terms. The book also has a few tips at the end to help kids step out of their comfort zone and do something different.
The illustrations are charming and beautiful. Wanda’s messy ponytails and freckles are the prettiest! Those big eyes and wide smiles are super cute. Kids will love the illustrations in this one.
To sum up, Braver than Brave is just the kind of book kids need to build their self-confidence and learn to make their own ‘wise’ decisions.
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Capstone, and Capstone Editions and am voluntarily leaving a review.

"Because it turned out, there was more than one kind of brave."

I love the message here. To be your own kind of brave is almost never easy, but is definitely one of the bravest things you can do. This is a very cute book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. All opinions are my own.

A great picture book about a girl discovering another kind of Brave! Will be perfect for dialogue and discussion with kids.

This was fantastic! I loved the illustrations. They showed all of the emotions so perfectly!

And I loved the story because it showed that you can be scared, work to conquer your fears, go to face them down, and then say, you know what? I don’t have to do this. There’s bravery in not caving into the pressure of HAVING to face it! That’s a huge and important lesson for kids to learn!

I also super love the last page with all of the different ways for kids to be brave. I think that’s really great.

Braver than Brave is a great SEL book that teaches kids that there is more than one way to be brave. I love all of the ideas on how to be brave in the back matter. This will be a great read aloud for our school counselor.

Wanda wants to be as brave as her big brother Zane. “Braver than Brave” is a sweet story about Wanda finding her own kind of Brave by practicing overcoming her fears but also realizing that it is important to know your limits and not give into peer pressure.

The illustrations were bright and colorful and I loved the added bonus of different ways to be Brave at the end of the book!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm so proud of Wanda, she tried her best she persevered and she stood her ground, what an amazing exemple for young kids reading this book!!

Such a great book about bravery and boundaries! Sometimes, the bravest decision is to skip something you thought you wanted to try!

I adored this book and the character Wanda, a little girl struggling to find her courage. The illustrations are also stunning. I, like Wanda, am constantly afraid to try new things. Wanda taught me to be more fearless when confronted with new experiences. more fearless when confronted with new experiences. This is an excellent book for young readers, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Braver Than Brave by Janet Sumner Johnson (Author), Eunji Jung (Illustrator)

🎢 Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes and this picture book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the concept that sometimes bravery means standing up for yourself and doing what is best for you!

🎢 Wanda tried to be brave and she really did want to join her friends, but her fear of the rollercoaster was too strong. Just because Wanda didn’t end up on the rollercoaster doesn’t mean she’s not brave though. Quite the contrary! It means Wanda is self-aware and respects herself enough to not do something she isn’t ready for yet. Saying no, especially to friends and people you love, is sometimes the bravest thing of all.

🎢 I really appreciated that Wanda’s friends were encouraging her to ride the rollercoaster with them rather than bullying or pressuring her.

🎢 This story emphasizes self-awareness, kindness, and accepting our differences. It would be a great addition to any child’s library.

🎢 This book is written for children ages 4 to 8 years old and is 32 pages long.

Thank you @netgalley and @CapstonePub for a free eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Do you know a kiddo that really, really wants to do all those big kid, scary things?
Sometimes kids want to do allll the things, but thinking about doing them is much easier than actually doing them.
This book tackles sibling idolization, peer pressure, being "too little", working for what you want, and making the best decisions for yourself. I was so happy Wanda was brave enough to do what was right for herself!
Great book for kids that are in between being a little kid and being a big kid, for families that live near a theme park, or anyone that has a mix of adrenaline junkies and nervous people in their crew!

Title: Braver than Brave Author: Janet Sumner Johnson Illustrator: Eunji
Wanda looks up to her big brother Zane. He's fearless, always ready to cross the monkey bars or brave the rope swing into the lake. One summer, a new roller coaster opens, and Zane and Wanda’s friends decide to ride it. Wanda is terrified of the coaster and lucks out on being too short to ride, but she spends the next year practicing and improving her bravery. Finally, the next summer comes and Janet is tall enough to ride. However, she discovers that bravery is not just about doing adrenaline-inducing acts, but it is also about standing up to peer pressure when you feel your boundaries are being pushed too far.
Eunji Jung’s illustrations bring the characters to life without overwhelming the reader. The characters are emotive and the settings are illustrated just enough to let the reader know where the characters are and how they interact with the setting. The colors used are bright but not too overwhelming, enabling students to easily be able to see the pictures even if sitting slightly distanced from the book as is often during a storytime. At the end of the book, there are even brave activities for kids to try such as riding a bike down a hill or speaking in front of the class, giving readers an interactive element to the book.
Johnson's book is an endearing tale of finding out how to be your own type of brave that would make a great engaging read-aloud for ages 3-5, and its short, simple sentences make it a great option for students looking to read a book on their own.

Thank you so much to Capstone and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

That was so cute, Wanda is scared of doing most things and sees how brave her brother is, her friends and brother are all wanting to ride the roller coaster of doom but Wanda isn’t brave enough. Wanda works really hard for so long doing brave things hoping that next time they go she can ride the roller coaster of doom.

I loved that this book showed you can be brave in many different ways. That bravery isn’t just riding the scariest thing there is, but showing that you can do other things that are just as hard and brave.

I loved the illustrations in this book they were so sweet and I really liked the lessons it taught to children about bravery. Such a great book to read with a child that might have fears or doesn’t feel confident to be brave about something, this could help them a lot to over come it like Wanda did.

I really loved this story and how it showed the different kinds of brave and that it isn’t the same for everyone.

This book is sweet and fun and has such an important message about what it means to be brave. The illustrations are adorable and help tell the story as we root for this young girl and watch her learn what it means to be brave and to have the self-confidence to make your own decisions.. Loved it!

Representation: 10
Story: 8
Illustration: 10

I loved the overall message of Braver than Brave. Wanda is a headstrong and determined protagonist.

This is a great book to help children with their emotions and self-image. I appreciate that we see Wanda on a year-long journey, with her efforts paying off in the end. Great message.

** Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

I absolutely loved this book and will be ordering it for my classroom. I think it gave a wonderful message about knowing your limits, and all of the different kinds of bravery.