My Brave Year of Firsts: Tries, Sighs, and High Fives – An Extraordinary Picture Book About Everyday Bravery and Growing Up for Kids

by Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

The tenth collaboration between Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell celebrates the everyday bravery of trying new things for the very first time. While our spunky heroine, Frankie, learns to ride a bike, tie her shoes, make new friends, love her first dog, borrow a book from the library, say when she's wrong, try yucky food and work with her dad, she also learns that trying new things is how she grows--and that being brave enough to do so is what growing up is all about.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Family, Storytime, Kids, Realistic Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Jamie Lee Curtis is a two-time Golden Globe-winning, BAFTA-winning, and Emmy-nominated American film actress and an author of children's books. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween (1978 film), The Fog, Prom Night (1980 film) and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres. She has received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Awards. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Lord Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a Lord, is titled Lady Haden-Guest, but she chooses not to use the title when in the United States.

Reviews

[Amber]

This was a pretty good audiobook narrated by the author Jamie Lee Curtis about a little girl named Frankie who tries new things. It was a pretty cute book to listen to. You can find the picture book of this and the audiobook at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[The Library Lady]

I would remove a star for the poor quality of the rhymes--some of the words DON'T rhyme and the rhythm is off. But I will cut Jamie Lee Curtis some slack because she is one of the few celebrities who can actually write children's books and the ideas here are good.

I am removing a star instead for the plug for Apple's IPhone--they don't need it and the reference will date rapidly.
Besides,I am an Android user. :D

[Jordan]

This book could act as a striking PSA for dental hygiene: Brush your teeth, or you will become this terrifying albino baby monster.

On parents in the bushes with binoculars: no.

On dogs with eye patches: yes.

[Jenni Arndt]

I will be the first to admit that what really drew me to picking up this title was when I saw Jamie Lee Curtis's name on it. I have been a fan of hers ever since her early Halloween days & finding out that she was now an author of children's books was a very pleasant surprise. What was even more intriguing was when I flipped through the book and saw that it was about getting back up and dusting yourself off after taking a fall.

Having been a mother now for a few years I have seen how disheartening it is for my children to attempt something that they see someone do, not be able to achieve it and then get pretty down on themselves. I'm constantly telling them "practice, practice, practice!" So I thought that this would be the perfect book to introduce into my house and have a great learning experience. It fulfilled that expectation that I had for it and was so much more.

Not only is this about retrying things that you have previously not had success with, but it's also about the more simple firsts in life. The first day of school, making your first friends, your first walk around the block with your friend unsupervised (Mommy was totally hiding in the bush on that page) This book is about facing new adventures in life that scare you and being "brave, true and strong."

We had many laughs throughout this book and had a good conversation after about all the new things that the character did that my children want to try out in the future. The illustrations were adorable and the message was a great one. This is definitely a great book for kids of all ages as it tackles a plethora of firsts.

[Barbara]

It's a busy year filled with many firsts for young Frankie. Over the year, she realizes that some firsts are hard, some are painful, and still others are fun, but firsts and taking risks are part of growing up. Her firsts range from riding a bicycle to tying her shoes to telling her first lie to staking her first tent to jumping from a big rock into the water below. The message in the story is positive and inspiring while Frankie is trying all sorts of new things. The illustrations feature sunny colors and smiling faces that will appeal to readers. While some of the rhymes are a bit hard to read aloud, though, I liked the examples of homonyms and homophones included on two pages, a sort of bonus lesson for readers. I'm not sure how many first graders learn the difference between fair and fare, however.

[Bookslut]

I thought this was a great book, but I cut it short of 5 stars because of the guilt-inducing things listed on the What I Did Over the Summer board on the first day of school page. 'We took in the great museums of the former Soviet Union (?)', 'We opened an orphanage in Bosnia (??), 'My family started a sustainable living program and fair trade cooperative in Somalia (???)'. And to top it off, in red letters by the teacher, 'DO NOT tell us you went to the beach or to Disneyland' (Yipes kids, erase your answers, and do not mention Disneyland to Ms. Granola).

[Samantha Hodge]

This was just meh compared to Curtis' previous books. It lacked that certain spunk I've grown fond of. At one point I even found myself checking if the book was bound properly, because it just felt out of order. Plus, something is very wrong with the glue in the binding. My son and I had to read this with our noses plugged. Pee-eew!

[Cathy]

Saw a review in the paper so I tried this. The drawn kids were quite ugly and the story didn't ring true.

[Kim Scanlon]

This is a wonderfully crafted children’s poetry book which has a musical effect when read aloud. It follows the life of a first-grader as she encounters many firsts in her life, including exciting firsts such as riding a bike, getting her first dog, making new friends, tying shoes, and many more. The author spends equal time describing other not-so-exciting firsts like getting stung by a bee, feeling sick, and lying. The book moves quickly through each event, yet effectively describes each first, the lessons learned, and the feelings felt with a vast array of colorful and descriptive vocabulary. It is written in an easy sing-song pattern which is both fun to read and fun to listen to. It is a perfect addition to any first grade classroom or first grader’s home.

I would recommend this book as a read-aloud in a first grade classroom, although it would also be a good choice for a K-2 book library. There are many in-classroom takeaways from this read-aloud. First, it could connect nicely with a lesson on rhyming, and the students could listen for the terminal rhyming pattern throughout the book. Additionally, each page describes a new event with multiple adjectives and feeling words, which could link to a discussion on how descriptive words add more meaning and detail to writing. As a connected assignment, students could pick a page/event and list the adjectives or feeling words they found. Lastly, this book can be used as a segway into the students feeling a sense of community as they discuss the many firsts they are encountering, how they felt, and the lessons they learned. The discussion could start with the events described in the book, and the children could add their own stories from there. This book is one of my new favorites and I have already ordered a copy for my classroom!

[Rebecca Rios]

Starting to go to school away from home can be so scary. My Brave Year of Firsts by Jamie Lee Curtis is about how this little girl has to face many first’s at a new school with new faces. She must overcome her fears and try new things with new people. She starts to realize she can face her fears head on while still being afraid, thus showing true forms of bravery. This leads me to the major themes in the book, bravery and growth. Bravery plays a role in this book as first, it’s the title of the book, and secondly, she faces the challenges that are unnerving to her and pulls through them. Growth is shown when all her new experiences make her grow stronger and gain more confidence in herself. The main genre of this book would be realistic fiction as it displays realistic scenarios that can occur in any child’s life. Through reading this book, children can learn how to face their fears and that it’s okay to not feel okay but to deal with problems head on. This is a wow book for me because I was also a scared kid in a completely new environment, so I was able to feel connected to this book.

The author used multiple literary devices and other forms of writing craft in this book. First writing technique the author used would be repetition. The main repeated thing is “firsts” after every new experience she gains. It enhanced the quality of the book by displaying how she would keep going through new situations. Another writing craft would be imagery. It allowed me to vividly see and imagine how she felt, reacted, and dealt with the new experiences. It enhanced the quality of the book because it allows the reader to feel emotionally connected to the character and see how she faces her fears. I would consider this book anti-bias because it can be related to/ lived by all types of children all over the world.

[Julia]

This book was about the main character, Frankie, and all of the firsts she experienced in her life. Some of the firsts she experienced included her first time getting a pet, her first time checking out a book from the library, and her first time getting in trouble for telling a lie. The story focused on Frankie. Other characters included Frankie's parents, Frankie's pet dog, Keith, Frankie's teacher, Miss Apple, and Frankie's classmates. All of these characters other than Frankie remained in the background, and Frankie was the main person to talk throughout this whole book (She is the narrator). There were only two lines in the whole book that were not spoken by Frankie. The text structure was easy to read with cadence, because the words at the end of each line rhymed with the last word in the next line. This allowed a smooth flow to the book, which makes the book seem free-flowing and would be a lot of fun for kids to read. The illustrations are created with a watercolor medium, and the colors used are light and bright, portraying a childlike mood. I really liked how the author used typography to make certain words stand out, and I also enjoyed the rhyming apparent in this book. I did not have any dislikes. I would use this book in a kindergarten or first grade classroom to introduce the idea of courage. It is important to be courageous and try new things, even if they may seem scary at first!

[Lara]

Not my favorite from these two but not a bad one either. It's all about experiencing things for the first time, whether intentional or not, and whether it's a positive or not. Firsts come in all sorts, right, and experiencing them can be intimidating. It's not the smoothest of texts, though, so that's what keeps it a little lower rating than other books by these two.

Personally, I absolutely LOVED the book bin subjects in the classroom. Cat stories, Dogs stories, Murder Mysteries... in a kindergarten class! Funny detail that warmed by children's librarian soul.

[Ashley Adams]

I thought this was a good book but not great. I think it would be beneficial to read to a kinder or first grade classroom one of the first two weeks of school. I feel like reading it reminds students that trying something new doesn't have to be scary. It's exciting and its ok to mess up or fall down like the book shows, you just have to get back up and try again. I enjoyed the illustrations too, I think they matched the books perfectly. They were colorful and messy but cute.

[Jessica]

The illustrations were a little too busy for my taste. The girl seems kind of spoiled. The parents have expensive iPhones, and the girl takes horse riding lessons. The girl has all these firsts, and it's an unintentional unintentional reference to childhood being too packed in our society, too many extracurriculars being offered, too many possessions being owned. And these are all contributors to our mental health epidemic.

[Theresa]

My Brave Year of Firsts: Tries, Sighs, and High Fives (Hardcover)
by Jamie Lee Curtis
the kids immediately said, hey its my first year, and tried to connect to the story but the fact the kid in the book had first with a horse and some things they will never see lost the kids.

[Kris]

Great ideas about how there’s always a first time for doing something, and being brave. The rhymes felt a little off and I didn’t love the illustrations. But it’s a cute book that is worth a read with kiddos.

[Clwseattle]

I neither loved nor hated My Brave Year of Firsts: Tries, Sighs, and High Fives but I am glad it wasn't the FIRST book of Jamie Lee Curtis' I read because I probably would have missed a few I loved!

[Kennedy Baydo]

This is a book about all kinds of firsts for a little girl. It takes about the courage you need to try new things. Sometimes first make you laugh and sometimes they make you cry but firsts only happen when you’re strong.

[Alyssa Byrne]

Story of a little girl and her first time trying new things. This would be greta to read at the begging of the year to promote bravery and courage in the classroom. She tries new things like riding skateboards, tubing, trying foods, and meeting friends.

[John]

Trying things for the first time, what an adventure! Some of the new experiences are a bit scary, some fun. But, they’re all rewarding in their own way! Fun illustrations throughout! This is a cute little story for young children.

[Shiloah]

Read with my Courtney (3).

[Cheryl Berry]

Excellent details for illustration lessons. Easily fit first grade. Be brave.

[Stacey]

At first, I was thinking it might be too long, but with the rhyme scheme, it should be fine for my first book at my first Preschool Storytime in the fall.

[Mallory Hargett]

Great book for those beginning new things and that its okay to try again.

[A.]

An occasionally rhyming, somewhat chaotic but joyful story in which some firsts are happy, some are hard, and some just happen when a child lives bravely.

[Christina]

I thought it was cute and had some great ideas about how to reframe something that can be scary as an exciting first instead.

[Carson Harp]

I like the strong message the girl sends out in this book. Even though some of the first things she did weren't always happy, they were still firsts and she could learn from them.

[Hanna Gonzalez]

Too overstimulating and then was turned off when the first grader had an iPhone. :(

[Natalie Sotelo-Solorio]

Great book to have in the classroom! It will teach students (especially our younger friends) that is ok for change and to take risks!

[Jen]

I like the idea, but the execution was just OK.