Peg Gets Plucky, the sequel to Peg Gets Crackin' by Jo Renfro begins with cautious Peg starting off on an adventure with her barnyard animal friends. Adventures are not so easy, she finds out. There are hills to climb and cold streams to wade through and prickly grass to push through. And then it gets dark! Peg is discouraged and afraid but she doesn't give up and in the end, the long walk proves to be worth it. Children are sure to relate to Peg's problems as they are constantly being challenged to learn about and try new things. Colorful and expressive artwork brings Peg's story to life. This book would work well for storytime or bedtime. Peg Gets Plucky could also work as conversation starter on facing challenges.

We can all use a reminder about perseverance from time to time! Peg likes chilling with her friends in the mud, but when they want to go on an adventure, she starts to feel like it's too hard, that she's too small, and that it's too big. (She gets a little complainy.) But when she looks back over everything she's been through, she realizes she is stronger than she thought. A good reminder that we can do hard things, and that we have made it through 100% of our hardest days. From a faith perspective, you could talk about the gifts God has given you, and that God is always with you (and that complaining can also be like prayer asking God for help). This is also a cute book to read to a grumpy kid that might help them get out of their bad mood. Out on March 11th.

Not your average chicken chicken, Peg is plenty plucky!

A darling chick shows she’s got pluck, but only realizes it halfway through! Like most challenges in life, the trick is to get started. The trick is to do!

Thanks to @NetGalley for sharing this DRC with me for an honest review.

Mom of three beautiful kids and we thought this was such a great story of a little chick who shows the struggles of being smaller then others. He sees all of his peers being shoe much bigger then him, but even though they are bigger his determination shows that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Eventually he does catch up with his friends and is rewarded for all of his hard work in the end.

We all have boundaries. Sometimes, these boundaries are set by us, and sometimes, they are set for us, but there isn’t anyone among us who hasn’t come up against one. As adults, we tend to know our boundaries pretty well. We’ve learned to navigate and ultimately accept them, for better or for worse. Children aren’t as easily accepting of boundaries, and that’s partially why they’re so unflinchingly honest—a quality we both admire and admonish when that honesty breaks those boundaries we’ve so carefully set or accepted.

Some boundaries are internal, manifesting as disbelief in oneself or one’s abilities, such as in author-illustrator Jo Renfro’s newest picture book, PEG GETS PLUCKY (Beaming Books, 32pp., ages 4 to 7), due to be released March 11. In this book, Peg, that lively little chick from Renfro’s first book, PEG GETS CRACKIN’, sets off on a big adventure with her barnyard friends. Though she charges ahead at the start, Peg soon finds that adventures can be HARD, and FAR, and BIG, and COLD, and SCRATCHY, and sometimes even SCARY.

Peg doesn’t think she can do it. But every time Peg comes up against something she believes she can’t conquer, she continues cautiously until, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, she gives up completely. Every parent of a small child, and even some not-so-small children, will recognize this moment. In storytelling, we call it All Is Lost. It’s the point in the plot where things seem so dire, so unbearably undoable, that we literally think all is lost. We’ve been defeated. We’re ready to give up. Some children (and even some adults) will throw themselves to the ground, kicking and screaming in frustration.

These are the make-or-break moments where boundaries are tested. This is also the moment readers, parents, and friends will cheer: You can do it! Look how far you’ve come! You’ve already done the hard work! Just a little further! We believe in you! Usually, this type of encouragement will rouse even the most discouraged adventurer into action. In this story, though, Peg learns to cheer for herself. She sees how far she has come, and it’s that knowledge, that realization of her own resilience, that pushes her forward. Peg perseveres, and in doing so, she discovers she’s not just a chicken; she's a "bold, daring, plucky adventurer!"

Jo's magic lies in her ability to portray characters in a wonderfully childish way both children and parents can enjoy. Her illustrations are always on the move, either in the character's often dramatic actions and facial expressions or in the way she weaves seemingly flat scenery into a traveling tapestry of bold shapes and colors, enticing the reader to follow the story from page to page to the illuminating ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to review this ARC. We loved this story. My kiddo is a year and a half and the progression worked great with our reading style. As the narrator I was able to use the text to be very expressive and the message was very clear and consistent throughout. I’m constantly searching for books that are actually age appropriate for toddlers and this hit the mark. The illustrations were also enjoyable they had a certain whimsy and their tone harkened back to other farm classics which made Peg feel like a member of the “farm” we’re always imitating. This one was a hit for us.

Mother of two here! We loved following Peg the chicken as she overcame some tough terrain out on an adventure with animals much larger than her! My kiddos cracked up as she went over the fallen tree and called herself a "chicken chicken". The book is adorable but we didn’t understand the title. Why was Peg lucky? We thought her determination and strength is what got her through her adventure, not her luck. Overall a really cute story and we loved the illustrations. Anything with animals is a huge hit with our family! I would recommend this cute story to another family!

Thank you to NetGalley and Beaming Books for this eARC!

This children's story is appealing to adults and children. I read this with my 7 year old. This story teaches a good life lesson proving we are all good enough. The characters are cute and loveable. The book has a good flow. It is a good read for a child and caretaker.

I loved this cute picture book about a plucky baby chick and her hiking adventures with the other barnyard animals. Now I want to go back and read the first book.

Very short, simple story about a tiny chick who thinks adventures are hard and learns to overcome her doubts. Cute illustrations. Too simple for my 6 year old, but I can see it being a favorite when he was in the 2-4yo range.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I like this funny little tale about going on an adventure and learning that they are not always easy but definitely worth it. Peg is a plucky little chicken!

Plucky is an adorable little critter for a children's book series! I absolutely loved the adorable illustrations and the message about being brave and trying new things

The illustrations for this book are gorgeous. The story is short and simple and leans heavily on the illustrations. I think this would be a great addition to most toddler and preschool classrooms. Perfect for introducing the concept of sitting and listening to a book or story without exhausting the children’s attention.

It follows a small chick who wants to tag a long on an adventure with her larger barnyard friends. Everytime Peg thinks she has reached a point that she can’t pass she manages to carry on.

This is pretty cute with a good message and fun illustrations. I'd suggest perhaps making it a little longer as it did feel super rushed.

This was a very cute book. My toddler loved the illustrations and it was an easy, fun read right before bed. Story wise I felt like it was missing something, I just can't put my finger on it. Overall, I think the lesson it teaches about not giving up is important for kids and it doesn't hurt as an adult to get the reminder :)

If you are starting to build a reading habit to your little ones, especially for very young children, say 1 year olds who don't necessarily have the patience to sit through long books, then Peg Gets Plucky is for you! You will love it! It is just the right length to emote and enact the story with emotions and excitement to your kids and yet wrap up the book quickly, especially when you have had a long, tiring day. My 4 YOs certainly liked it. My Daughter is extremely competitive by nature, so at first she didn't like the fact that Peg gets left behind. However, by the end of the book, she came around. At one point, where Peg struggles to climb over a tree trunk with her short legs, we stopped and thought and talked about it. My daughter feels similarly overwhelmed and frustrated when she cannot climb stairs as fast as older friends. All in all, it was an excellent opportunity for me to discuss that perseverance matters a lot in all our endeavours! I would highly recommend this book to parents of very young children!

This was so cute! We love the first one and Jo is a hometown author for us! We love supporting her! My toddler loved all the illustrations.

Peg is not a chicken chicken! Such a fun read. Children will love this beautifully illustrated little story about a brave little chicken on an adventure. Great for home and the classroom.

Such an adorable story of a little chick who has a hard time keeping up with his friends because of his size. As a preschool teacher, I really appreciated the use of opposites throughout the book as it creates opportunities for the students to learn about different vocabulary words and what they might mean. A game could also be played where they have to figure out what the opposite of the words in the book are. Another theme the runs through the book is perseverance as there are moments where the chick feels like he can't do anything because of his size. Eventually he does catch up with his friends and is rewarded at the end.

I really enjoyed this one! I think that the art style that Renfro uses is really great for animal centric stories. I also really like the message of this book, about being brave and going on adventures despite all of the things surrounding you that are difficult and challenging. I think the frightened child me would be comforted by this story. I definitely think this is a great one and I hope Renfro’s work gets out there.