Renée Kurilla – illustratör

The debut picture book by Academy Award-winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Matthew McConaugheyJust because I’m in the race,doesn’t mean I’m fully ready.Just because I’m shaking,doesn’t mean that I’m not steady.Have you ever felt worried and excited at the same time?Have you ever had your feelings hurt but forgiven someone anyway?Have you ever thought there was more than one right answer to a question?That’s because contradictions are all around us. And they make us who we are.Filled with his trademark humor and wisdom, Academy Award–winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Matthew McConaughey has crafted a soulful and irreverent collection of life lessons that empowers readers, big and small, to celebrate how we are all full of possibility.Why? Just because.

Anna is one busy girl! She plays soccer and takes piano lessons. She has homework and chores. Sometimes she feels stressed. How can she get everything done? Anna''s parents show her several ways to deal with stress. When she tries them, she shrinks her stress and feels better!

It''s almost Field Day! But Natalie''s team isn''t ready for the big race. Their muscles get tired easily. Ms. Starr teaches them about aerobic and anaerobic exercise. They learn some stretching exercises too. Now they''re full of energy. Can they win the beach ball relay?

Sophie is on a mission. You can call her Agent S. Like any good spy, Sophie knows how to be safe. She helps her brother stay away from danger too. They watch for speeding cars. They avoid strangers. And they never goof around on the school bus!

Meet Alice. She''s a dragon! She breathes fire as she flies overhead. She likes her humans crispy! But don''t worry. Alice isn''t real. She''s one of the monsters you meet in stories. She just wants to tell you about dragons. Find out where dragons store their treasure. Learn about dragons'' special powers. And meet different kinds of dragons from around the world. You''ll have a sizzling good time with this monster buddy!

Meet Ami. She''s a mummy! She used to sleep in a tomb. Now she smashes through walls! But don''t run away. Ami''s not real. She''s one of the monsters you meet in stories. She just wants to tell you about mummies. Find out how a person becomes a mummy. Learn about the treasures in a mummy’s tomb. And discover what brings a mummy back to life. You’ll have a scary time with this monster buddy!

Chloe gets to pick a special outfit for school! Should she wear her karate uniform? Her firefighter''s helmet? Her bunny slippers? To decide, she talks with family and friends about clothes. Which clothes show a person''s interests? Which clothes show someone belongs to a certain religion or culture? Which clothes tell about a person''s job? See what Chloe comes up with for her special outfit!

Different can be great!Makayla is visiting friends in her neighborhood. She sees how each family is different. Some families have lots of children, but others have none. Some friends live with grandparents or have two dads or have parents who are divorced. How is her own family like the others? What makes each one great? This diverse cast allows readers to compare and contrast families in multiple ways.

Sophie is on a mission. You can call her Agent S. Like any good spy, Sophie knows how to be safe. She helps her brother stay away from danger too. They watch for speeding cars. They avoid strangers. And they never goof around on the school bus!

Anna is one busy girl! She plays soccer and takes piano lessons. She has homework and chores. Sometimes she feels stressed. How can she get everything done? Anna''s parents show her several ways to deal with stress. When she tries them, she shrinks her stress and feels better!

It''s almost Field Day! But Natalie''s team isn''t ready for the big race. Their muscles get tired easily. Ms. Starr teaches them about aerobic and anaerobic exercise. They learn some stretching exercises too. Now they''re full of energy. Can they win the beach ball relay?

Meet Alice. She''s a dragon! She breathes fire as she flies overhead. She likes her humans crispy! But don''t worry. Alice isn''t real. She''s one of the monsters you meet in stories. She just wants to tell you about dragons. Find out where dragons store their treasure. Learn about dragons'' special powers. And meet different kinds of dragons from around the world. You''ll have a sizzling good time with this monster buddy!

Meet Ami. She''s a mummy! She used to sleep in a tomb. Now she smashes through walls! But don''t run away. Ami''s not real. She''s one of the monsters you meet in stories. She just wants to tell you about mummies. Find out how a person becomes a mummy. Learn about the treasures in a mummy’s tomb. And discover what brings a mummy back to life. You’ll have a scary time with this monster buddy!

Different can be great!Makayla is visiting friends in her neighborhood. She sees how each family is different. Some families have lots of children, but others have none. Some friends live with grandparents or have two dads or have parents who are divorced. How is her own family like the others? What makes each one great? This diverse cast allows readers to compare and contrast families in multiple ways.

Wow! A snowstorm on a school day turns into a blizzard. Cody is afraid he could be stuck in school until summer! Bel the Weather Girl helps her friends understand what makes some snowstorms change into blizzards. Will the storm let up before school is out? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Look! The sky is getting cloudy. Does that mean light rain, a thunderstorm, or just an overcast day? Dylan hopes their soccer game won''t be rained out. Bel the Weather Girl helps her friends read the clues in the sky. Will it rain on game day? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Ping! Ping! It sounds like the sky is raining rocks! Dylan thinks the house is falling down. Bel the Weather Girl tells him not to worry—she knows all about hail. But her dog, Stormy, hides under the kitchen table anyway. Why are chunks of ice falling in the middle of summer? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Yikes! Grandpa tells Dylan and Bel the Weather Girl that he is tracking a tropical storm. They came to Florida for fun in the sun, not to get stuck in a hurricane! Bel explains the science behind the storm. Are the weekend plans ruined? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Boom! A crash of thunder follows a flash of lightning. Bel the Weather Girl and Dylan are having a slumber party, but now he''s hiding under the covers! Bel tells Dylan that thunderstorms aren''t so scary once you understand them. Will Dylan''s fear of the storm rain on their sleepover? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Tornado siren! Bel the Weather Girl and Dylan head to the basement. Dylan is scared the house will blow away! But soon the storm passes. Some storms make tornadoes, and some don''t. Bel says she can explain why—in the kitchen. What does baking have to do with tornadoes? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

From Emily Calandrelli—host of Xploration Outer Space, correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, and graduate of MIT—comes the first novel in a brand-new chapter book series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.Ada Lace—third-grade scientist and inventor extraordinaire—has discovered something awful: her neighbor’s beloved Yorkie has been dognapped! With the assistance of a quirky neighbor named Nina (who is convinced an alien took the doggie) and her ever-growing collection of gadgets, Ada sets out to find the wrongdoer. As their investigation becomes more and more mysterious, Ada and Nina grow closer, proving that opposites do, in fact, attract.

From Emily Calandrelli—host of Xploration Outer Space, correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, and graduate of MIT—comes the second novel in a brand-new chapter book series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.Ada Lace is building a new robot! She’s determined to beat Milton in the upcoming robotics competition. But she’s distracted—Ada finds her dad’s art class impossible, while Nina is the star of the class, basking in the glory of being Mr. Lace’s star pupil. When Mr. Lace suggests that Nina put on an art show, Ada becomes jealous and loses her temper. Now Ada isn’t speaking to her dad, she’s falling behind in art class, and she still doesn’t know how to fix her robot. As the competition looms closer, Ada starts to wonder if there might be a way to use both science and art to solve her problems. Will Ada make up with her father in time to test her hypothesis? Or will her hurt feelings leave her seeing red and without a medal at the end of the day?

From Emily Calandrelli—host of Xploration Outer Space, correspondent on Bill Nye Saves the World, and graduate of MIT—comes the third novel in a fun illustrated chapter book series about an eight-year-old girl with a knack for science, math, and solving mysteries with technology.Third grader and inventor extraordinaire Ada Lace likes nothing more than to tinker with mechanics like her robot, George. Her latest project is to fix up a ham radio, something that she could use to contact people on this planet…and beyond. The only problem is that she just can’t get it to work properly. During a sleepover, Ada’s best friend Nina hears something strange coming from the radio in the middle of the night. A distant voice says, “Release the swarm!” convincing Nina that aliens are about to invade planet Earth. Could Ada and Nina have stumbled upon something…extraterrestrial?

Boom! A crash of thunder follows a flash of lightning. Bel the Weather Girl and Dylan are having a slumber party, but now he''s hiding under the covers! Bel tells Dylan that thunderstorms aren''t so scary once you understand them. Will Dylan''s fear of the storm rain on their sleepover? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Ping! Ping! It sounds like the sky is raining rocks! Dylan thinks the house is falling down. Bel the Weather Girl tells him not to worry—she knows all about hail. But her dog, Stormy, hides under the kitchen table anyway. Why are chunks of ice falling in the middle of summer? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!

Tornado siren! Bel the Weather Girl and Dylan head to the basement. Dylan is scared the house will blow away! But soon the storm passes. Some storms make tornadoes, and some don''t. Bel says she can explain why—in the kitchen. What does baking have to do with tornadoes? Stay tuned, because every day is another weather day!