How Big Is Your Brave?

New York Times bestselling author Ruth Soukup is dedicated to helping people break through fear and create a life they love. Through her top-ranked Do It Scared® podcast and her popular blog, Living Well Spending Less, she provides easy-to-follow guidance for following your dreams and reaching your goals. She is also the founder of the Living Well Planner® and Elite Blog Academy®, as well as the author of five bestselling books. Her practical advice has been featured all over, including in Women’s Day, Entrepreneur, Family Circle and Fox News.  She lives in Florida with her husband Chuck and two daughters, Maggie and Annie.

In this didactic narrative, young bunny Zippy pursues her astronaut dreams with welcome familial support. When her brother Gus, a gardener who knows Zippy's heart is in the stars, encourages enrollment in space camp, Zippy fears the 'big, smart-looking critters signing up.' Remembering wisdom from her grandmother--'Your WHY must be bigger than your fear'--and subsequently guided by her parents and camp counselor, Zippy commits and makes strides at camp, learning that 'action is the antidote to fear.' But when a garden-related accident interferes, Zippy must navigate moving beyond her frustrations. Friend's illustrations are warmly colored, and a variety of critters abound. The lessons Zippy receives--'everyone needs accountability,' among others--are graphically imposed on their respective pages, but the dialogue is no less impactful ('Being brave doesn't mean you're never scared... courage means taking an action, even when you feel afraid'). Though the text-heavy pages make this a hefty read-aloud, it's an uplifting story for increasingly independent readers.