Stay Positive: A Children's Picture Book

The Hold Steady’s beloved song of stick-to-itiveness and positivity is adapted into a beautiful children's book about the social life of a humble armadillo

STAY POSITIVE is a charming children’s picture book based on The Hold Steady song of the same name. The title track of the band’s fourth album (released in 2008), “Stay Positive” is a call to arms to stand strong and persevere during trying times. The song remains a fan favorite and a staple of The Hold Steady’s live shows.

The book follows the path of an adorable armadillo who discovers along the way how music can pull together a disparate cast of characters. It’s also a lesson in tenacity and maintaining a positive attitude when encountering adverse situations. The story ends up in a unified celebration that mirrors the joy of a Hold Steady performance.

Singer Craig Finn explains, “‘Stay Positive’ has a line that says, ‘The kids at the shows will have kids of their own,’ and it’s true: each year more Hold Steady fans become parents or grandparents. So I’m thrilled that we’re offering the children’s book version of ‘Stay Positive,’ which brings THS joy to the whole family.”

Full color illustrations throughout

The Hold Steady is Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, Galen Polivka, Bobby Drake, Franz Nicolay, and Steve Selvidge. Since forming in Brooklyn in 2003, they have released eight studio albums, most recently Open Door Policy in 2021. Their debut album, The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me, was named one of the 100 best albums of this century by Rolling Stone. Their latest work is The Gospel of The Hold Steady: How a Resurrection Really Feels.

David “El Dee” Espinosa is an illustrator and comic book author from Mexico. He won the Premio Nacional de Novela Gráfica Joven Tierra Adentro in 2018 for his book Nido de Serpientes. His work is featured across the globe in books, record covers, posters, and ad campaigns. His latest graphic novel, Foráneo, was published in 2023 by Editorial Planeta. He currently lives in Cholula, Mexico.