Never Give Up by Kathryn Cole gives a great message to not only children, but any person as well. Shaun is trying to learn to ride a bike, he wobbles on his training wheels and gets made fun of, but he doesn't let this define him, he actually uses it as fuel to keep trying and keep going until the point he has mastered the bike, without training wheels, and is moving on to try something new. He is a great roll modle, never giving up, learning how to do it, and moving on to the next challenge. It is hard when you don't succeed at something, it takes real character to keep trying!

Nadia is a story within a story. She keeps quiet while kids are giving Shaun a hard time, and later apologizes. She doesn't go along with everyone else, which shows strength of character. And she shows remorse by coming clean with Shaun, who really is just happy she was herself. That she didn't go along, but that she stayed quiet. It also shows how to accept people for who they are.

And the bullies, or kids teasing Shaun. It was a lesson as well, they got bored harassing Shaun and eventually moved on to other things.

This book is full of good lessons, especially for kids!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Never Give Up - A story about Self-Esteem is a perfect book to illustrate the power of friendship, the affect your decisions can have upon your self-esteem, and how important determination is to accomplishing something. It is set for ages 5-8 years old, and speaks perfectly for that age group. The wearing of the hijab by the main character, whilst never even mentioned in the book, subtly goes against the undercurrent of anti-Muslim rhetoric. There is nothing in this book that could have been done better. Perfectly done, with simple illustrations that let the story take the forefront whilst still adding value to the book. I highly recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.