"Failure Friday" is a compelling story about Emma, who feels out of place in her family of runners. When she contemplates quitting the school running club, a special guest teaches her a valuable lesson: that failure is a part of the journey to success. The story encourages resilience and open conversations about failure, making it an excellent addition to classrooms and libraries. Thanks to the author and to NetGalley for sharing this enriching tale in exchange for my honest review.

So many powerful and necessary SEL (social and emotional learning) concepts packed into this book! When Emma is not sure she should continue to run after a failure, her teacher brings in a special guest to the classroom. Soon, Emma and her classmates explore failure, and learn that failure is not the end of all things (among so many other precious lessons, that we, as adults ought to remember better).

Loved everything about it – the simple yet powerful narration, the colorful, diverse, and emotive illustrations, and of course, at the risk of repeating myself, the lessons it imparts.

Get it today for your home, your classroom, and as a reminder that failure is not the rock that blocks us or the pebble that makes us trip and fall but rather a stepping stone that lets us learn and go forward in leaps and bounds!

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC for this from NetGalley, and these are my honest opinions.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Great kids book about learning from failure, would recommend

Thank you NetGalley and National Center for Youth Issues, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for accepting my request to read and review Failure Friday.

Author: Andrea Burns
Published: 08/25/22
Genre: Children's Fiction -- Sports

The illustrations are bright and well done. They do not take away from the story. The two compliment each other beautifully. I noticed the facial expressions and found them to be spot on.

The story itself has several messages that can be taken from it. Team work, practice, not always winning, and not everyone in a family has the same skill level. This is a kind and gentle expression between a child and parents teaching trying without giving up.

Emma is frustrated with her difficulties with the relay event in track at school and is ready to quit. But instead, she learns a valuable lesson: how to fail and keep trying. She finds that failing is not only a part of life, it is a part of success. Most people are unsuccessful a number of times before they start to become successful. So Emma decides to stick with track to find out what she can accomplish.

Such a cute book with a wonderful message! My daughter loved it and so did I. I know we will be reading this over and over.

Excellent message for kids about failure and trying to fit in. Loved the illustrations! Well read again and recommend.

A short story to share with a class or have kids read and discuss in small group. Help foster resiliency and kindness as children discover that we learn from failure and talking about one's failures is not a sign of weakness, but a way to grow. Full page illustrations help visualize concepts and emotions in the story that kids will be able to relate to. A great SEL text to enrich any classroom, school, or private library.

I loved the illustrations and the message this book conveys. This books can help kids overcome the feelings of failure and the difference between being a failure and having one. It shows how one can celebrate failure because it will motivate us to pursue more until we get it right.

Thank you Netgalley and National Center for Youth Issues, Independent Book Publishers Association for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 25 August 2022

Why I picked up the book: We have been celebrating failures at our dinner table for the last couple of weeks, so the title of this book caught my attention.

What I liked the most about the book: I loved the celebration of failure and the lesson the book provides. I also loved how the book gave ideas on how to be encourages of others failures too. Both lessons are something we have been focusing on in our house.

Who I would recommend to read this book: I think this would be a great classroom book to teach children how to celebrate failure and how to encourage each other! "We never lose. We either win or we learn."

Rating: 5/5*

Genre: Children's Fiction | Parenting & Families | Sports

#FailureFriday #NetGalley

A fantastic book to help kids overcome feelings of failure. I loved the authenticity of the characters and the struggle that Emma faced to live up to her family's expectations. This would be a great book to share with kids who experience failure when trying something new.

Failure is only the first step. Not the final.

Emma has always wanted to run like her sister, mother and father. She has big shoes to fill since her dad runs marathons and her older sister is the star of the track team. So when she joins the school's running club she is excited but also nervous. Can she keep up with everyone? Can she live up to the high standards her family has set or will she fall behind and linger in their shadow forever?

Emma isn't the fastest and she's a little clumsy too. She wants to quit until a guest speaker comes in to talk about what it means to fail. Emma learns a valuable lesson about determination, perseverance and having some grit to overcome the challenges. The best part was the quote "there is a difference between having a failure and being a failure," which should be hung up in every bedroom and classroom. Emma learns that progress is more important than perfection.

This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. Incorporating social-emotional skills and topics such as this into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach an important life skill in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classroom libraries, counselling offices and more.

As an adult, I feel this title (although usually it’s more of a Failure Monday). Failure is a hard subject to talk about with kids, so I was eager to see how this one went. This one focuses on a little girl who was born into a family of avid runners. Naturally, she decides to try out for the school’s run club. Unfortunately, she comes dead last at her first practice. She is disappointed, and even more so when she is near the end of the pack a few days later, though her mother reminds her she improved from her first day, which is a great and wonderful thing to be proud of. She wants to quit more than anything, but her family reminds her that they are not quitters. In the end, she learns to practice hard, be positive about her incremental improvements, and eventually learns to celebrate her failures and admit to them bravely in front of her peers. This one emphasizes the difference between experiencing failure and “being a failure” and provides such an inspiring message to the kids (as well as the adults) who sometimes feel like one failure defines them. Every kid should read this one!

Nice story showing that everyone fails at something and we shouldn't focus on the loss. "There is a difference between having a failure and being a failure." I love this quote and will use it when my grandsons think they have failed at something. It should be plastered in every classroom. This book shows how to react to others failure, as well. It contains great, realistic illustrations.


I received an ARC from National Center for Youth Issues, Independent Book Publishers Association through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Emma’s whole family excels at track, but it doesn’t come easily to her. She wants to quit the track team after she feels she lets her team down. This picture book had great lessons in sportsmanship, perseverance, and that you shouldn’t fear failure.

I love the overall theme and message of this story. Failure isn’t bad and we all experience it. I loved how the kids were able to realize this and come out stronger together. The lesson for kids is so important.

Good story to encourage readers that failure should be celebrated because it means you tried and that you are human.

“We never lose. We wither win or we learn.”
This was such a sweet story about accepting failure. Growing up in a traditional Asian household, I am a perfectionist and sometimes can’t handle mistakes or failures well. Failures help us grow, and we shouldn’t be afraid of them. This is a great value to instill in our children. I loved the “Failure Day” the teacher set up to celebrate failures and encourage each other. The illustrations are beautiful!

An inspiring and beautifully illustrated book with a powerful message! I read this randomly and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. This delightful book teaches you how to navigate and cope with setbacks, which I think is a lesson that readers of all ages can do with. After all, we are our own worst critic, agree? I also appreciate the diverse representation. Every classroom and library needs a copy of this wonderful book.

A very cute book about how failure doesn't have to be a bad thing. Failure helps us learn and keep pushing ourselves and even if we fail at something that doesn't mean we are failures. Everyone has failures and that's okay. A great lesson for kids about putting yourself out there and keep trying while trying to not be too hard on yourself and just enjoy what you're doing, even if you end up failing and helping others when you see that they're having a hard time dealing with their failures.