Today I'm Strong - Hardcover

Hussain, Nadiya

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593525949 ISBN 13: 9780593525944

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2022

Synopsis

A classic in the making from the winner of The Great British Baking Show and star of Nadiya Bakes, about a young girl finding her strength in spite of a schoolyard bully.

I love to go to school. Well, most days I do.
There are some days when what I really want
is to stay at home with you.

Most days, this little girl loves to go to school and play with her friends. But sometimes the schoolyard can feel like a battleground where she has to dodge mean words from a bully. Luckily, she always has her steadfast tiger by her side—even if she’s the only one who can see it. With the reminder that strength comes from within, she digs deep to believe in herself, no matter what anyone else says.

From the team behind My Monster and Me, Today I’m Strong is a tender story about finding the courage to hold your head high, with a powerful reminder to always be kind.

About this title

About the Author

NADIYA HUSSAIN’s delicious bakes and sparkling personality made her a hugely pop­ular winner of The Great British Baking Show. She is the author of Nadiya’s Bake Me a Story, which was shortlisted for a British Book Award, and its follow-ups, Bake Me a Festive Story and Bake Me a Celebration Story. She has also published cookbooks and novels for adults, and has many television series to her name, including The Chronicles of Nadiya, Nadiya’s Asian Odyssey, Nadiya’s Family Favourites, Nadiya’s Time to Eat, and Nadiya Bakes.
 
Follow her at nadiyahussain.com and @BegumNadiya.
 

ELLA BAILEY is a freelance illustrator based in Nottingham in the UK. Since graduat­ing with a degree in illustration from Falmouth University, Ella has worked with Simon and Schuster UK and Flying Eye Books, as well as Magma for Laurence King.
 
You can find her at ellabailey.co.uk.
 

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—Intending to empower children to defend themselves by raising their voices and pushing through in the face of adversity, this book inadvertently racializes power dynamics. The protagonist, with red round spectacles vivid against her brown skin and black hair, loves school, except on the days when Molly bullies her. On those days, the protagonist loses her voice and wants to hide, until she summons her inner strength, symbolized as a tiger, and stands up to Molly. Illustrating the protagonist's inner strength as a tiger companion makes this an effective picture book. On nearly every page, readers can search for the tiger and make sense of its consistent presence representing that strength is inside, waiting to be needed. While this is a valuable message, the racialized dynamic of bullying undermines the takeaway. Despite the protagonist's class being illustrated as diverse, Molly, a blond child, is singled out as a bully when most characters do not have names. Readers will not understand why she has the power, and why the heroine is nameless. While the message is to show all children that they can stand up to a bully like Molly, it may also show children of color specifically that they're the ones who always have to rise above. VERDICT Instead of a story with characters readers can cheer for and believe in, this book relies on simplistic tropes and stereotypes.—Paige Pagan

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593525949
• ISBN 13: 9780593525944
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bailey Ella
• Number of pages: 32