I'm Gonna Push Through!
What Does Bookroo Think of This Book
Jasmyn Wright’s positive affirmations promote perseverance and bolster resilience in children, or as the author puts it, pushing through. Featured in the digitally rendered illustrations are hand signals to accompany portions of the affirmations, a wide variety of diversity in the characters, examples of kids pushing through, and framed spotlights of individuals (some famous and some unknown, especially for children) with their names and the repeated phrase, “He/She pushed through.” The spotlight section of the book establishes sub-par inspiration for kids, highlighting faces but not explaining any details of their respective journeys to pushing through. While some, but not all, spotlighted individuals have a biographical profile at the end of the book, these are displayed in small font on pages overwhelmed with text. While J. Wright’s message in the affirmations is valid—to push through even when it seems too hard, scary, or rough—some of the affirmations contain harmful oversimplifications, such as “if they can do it, I can too!” Sharing an encouraging and deliberate message of resilience and perseverance, the substance of the book is far less memorable than the powerful Author’s Note, which is three pages long and inspiring.
What Kind of Book is I'm Gonna Push Through!
What Questions Should I Ask My Child
- This book shows kids pushing through to do a variety of different things, like finish a math problem, climb a rock wall, or finding new friends to sit with at lunch. What's something that's hard for you that you could push through?
- The picture frames in the book highlight a few people in history that have pushed through and made a difference in the world. Who is someone you know that has pushed through and been an example for you?
Reviews
"The latter refrain, an empowering mantra the author developed for her third grade students, punctuates the text, which is more rallying cry than narrative."
"An extensive author’s note explains that Wright came up with the “words and hand movements of the original Push Through mantra” as a teacher endeavoring to explain what “resilient” means. She says she “wanted [her students] to know that their past doesn’t define them, their present doesn’t have to hinder them, and their future is waiting on them." It’s encouraging—but not revolutionary in its call for individual grit rather than collective change."
Book Lists That Include This Book
The Creatives Behind the Book
Jasmyn Wright is the founder of the Push Through Organization and a former elementary school teacher. She began her teaching career at a Title 1 school in Memphis, Tennessee, as a member of Teach for America. More recently, she taught at a charter school in Wilmington, Delaware, and was chosen to be a Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellow. Visit the Push Through Organization at WePushThrough.org.
Shannon Wright is an illustrator and cartoonist living in Richmond, Virginia. Her work has been published by The New York Times, Time magazine, Mother Jones, and Google. She is also the illustrator of My Mommy Medicine by Edwidge Danticat. During the summer, Shannon coteaches a comics course at Virginia Commonwealth University. Visit her at Shannon-Wright.com.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781534439658
- Publication Date
- February 18, 2020
- Publisher
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Text Details
- The text for this book was set in Kirkby and Leftover Crayon.
- Illustration Details
- The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
- Page Count
- 40
- Words Per Page
- 9
- Audience
- Picture
- Reading Age
- 4 - 8 years
- Lib. of Congress (LCCN)
- 2019005929
- WorldCat Number (OCLC)
- 1145766348
- Est. Lexile® Level
- ~190L
- Est. Fountas & Pinnell Level
- ~G
- ATOS® Book Level
- 1.7
- Accelerated Reader® Points
- 0.5
- Accelerated Reader Quiz
- 511792
- Accelerated Reader Interest Level
- LG
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