Ambitious Abbey Tries Again (Hardcover)

As a mom of three girls from ages one to four, I was excited to read the Ambitious Abbey books to my children, especially because I have seen how schools welcome author Abbey Duplaga to share her wise stories with kids! I read all 3 books in the series to my two older girls in one afternoon! I am so delighted with the books, both from a mom's and fellow writer's perspectives that I wanted to write a review for Abbey so that others would be encouraged to read her series!    Before reading Ambitious Abbey Tries Again, the 3rd book in the series, I assumed that the lesson of not giving up would come when the character Abbey would have to decide if to go fishing the second time after failing the first time. However, Abbey Duplaga again writes the story so cleverly that we see the character Abbey not giving up from the beginning! This is where Abbey's character truly shines through because nowhere do we see her father – oh yes, she is cast with an adult in this book – offering her suggestions to improve her fishing situation. It's all Abbey using her reasoning ability and initiative to make changes to be successful! In a subtle way, this gives young readers courage and permission to be independently creative and problem solvers without needing constant prodding, direction, and validation from anyone! I wish I had known this when I was a child growing up, because I was micromanaged a lot and had to learn this valuable lesson that “it's ok to fail but try again and in different ways” in my adulthood! The culmination of Abbey's determination occurs when after failing the first time, she has to decide if it's worth visiting the fishing pond again. I find it brilliant that Abbey Duplaga wrote the story this way to show us that even if we fail after trying all we know to do the first time, we should be willing and open to trying yet again if it is something worth doing! I find myself at present trying to teach my oldest daughter not to give up, especially not too quickly. For example, I'll send her to retrieve an object for me knowing that it's possible for her to find it, but instead of looking thoroughly, she'll look in a very few places and then return to tell me that she couldn't find it. This book is a treat to read to her because it shows her how to be diligent and determined! In closing, the Ambitious Abbey series is a worthy read, both for myself and with my children! The lines are short, witty, and rhyme, which is of course a major plus for younger children's attention span and understanding. I now look forward to each new book in the series as these books will be on repeat read for my children to learn from! These days, when my two older girls are not making fish pout faces to mimic The Pout-Pout Fish, they're chanting “ambitious abbey” hahaha: they love the sound of that name! And of course, these books are now on my gift guide for anyone and everyone who has children in their care!