Gymnastics Girl Maya's Story: Becoming Brave

by Kara Douglass Thom, Pamela Seatter (Illustrator)

Overview

An engaging tale of overcoming one’s fears and finding friendship in unexpected places that will have kids itching to hit the tumbling mats after learning about gymnastics Go! Go! Sports Girl products are designed as a fun and educational way to promote self-appreciation and the benefits of daily exercise, smart eating and sleeping habits, self-esteem, and overall healthy life skills for girls. The books and dolls in the series encourage all children to dream big and work hard to achieve their goals—and have fun while doing so. Kids will meet Maya in this extremely relatable, 730 Lexile story. Maya is afraid of everything: climbing trees, thunder, spiders—and she’s especially afraid of the squats and handsprings she has to do in her gymnastics class. With the big meet coming up, though, she’ll have to become brave. Readers will find out how she does it, and the unexpected friend she makes on the way, in this book.

The Go! Go! Sports Girl app is available on iTunes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940731018
Publisher:	Dream Big Toy Company
Publication date:	06/23/2014
Series:	Go! Go! Sports Girls Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kara Douglass Thom is a writer with a focus on fitness from a parent's perspective, fitness for children, and the importance of raising a fit family. She is the coauthor of Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom (Andrews McMeel 2011), author of the children's book See Mom Run, and Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event (both published by Breakaway Books). She lives in the Minneapolis area. Pamela Seatter is an experienced art director, designer, and illustrator with a passion for children’s products. She creates engaging and dynamic layouts, designs, and illustrations for books and interactive games, as well as toy, craft, candy, and giftware packaging. She lives in the Chicago area.

Editorial Reviews

"We love that The Go! Go! Sports Girls encourage creative play through sport and now the dolls come to life with books in the new Read & Play sets. Promoting active play and empowering girls is a much needed themes on today's toy shelves." —Stephanie Oppenheim, publisher and co-founder, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
"We love a story with a strong female lead, so the Go! Go! Sports Girls, a line of award-winning books and doll sets, get our endorphins flowing." —Kristin Barnett, anothermotherrunner.com
"This type of positive role model is not always easy to come by in the real world, so it’s a breath of fresh air to be able to offer a child a doll and book set that are wholesome." —Jackie Breyer, thetoyinsider.com

"I love the message the Go! Go! Sports Girls dolls and books promote, and glad my active daughter has something like this to identify with and to inspire her.” —Dara Torres, 5-time Olympic swimmer

"The Go! Go! Sports Girl books provide a departure from the diva storyline. . . . and show girls that it is necessary to work hard towards a goal, be it celebrating an athletic achievement, overcoming a personal fear, or seeing past a teammate’s weaknesses to help her find her strengths." —Carrie Goldman, author, Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear

"Growing up, my mom told me I could be anything I wanted to be with hard work and perseverance. I highly recommend these books for kids who want to read about good role models and achieving goals."—Gretchen Carlson, FOX News host, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson

"Being an Olympic runner and now a mommy, it is so important to me to help my children learn early on how to be active and stay healthy." —Carrie Tollefson, 2004 Olympian

"Go! Go! Sports Girl Founder, Jodi Bondi Norgaard, is a female entrepreneur creating true alternatives for girls. The Go! Go! Sports Girl books and dolls empower girls to be active, encourage creative play through sports and promote healthy life skills." —Jennifer Siebel Newsom, writer, director and producer, Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In

"The Go! Go! Sports Girls—dolls designed to emphasize physical achievement and fitness—are now coming alive in books too. The 32-page stories about each doll teach the basics of a sport, along with teamwork and healthy habits for girls ages 5 and up." —Parents magazine

"You gotta love it when the toys you select for your family also empower girls through sports, what a great message!" —Chris Freytag, chrisfreytag.com

“The Go! Go! Sports Girls dolls and books are a true alternative and will encourage and inspire girls in so many ways. Brava!” —Jean Kilbourne, author, filmmaker, Killing Us Softly

"Girls love to run track. Wow at a dance recital. Score the winning goal. Being active in sports helps girls to become strong and confident throughout their lives. Author Kara Douglass Thom knew that when she wrote the book series to accompany Dream Big Toy Company's Go! Go! Sports Girls dolls. We are thrilled that girls can now enjoy signed copies of these books in our library exhibit, 'Girls Writing the World.' Check out the Go! Go! Sports Girls for the sporty girl in your life!" —Girl Scouts USA

From the Publisher

Maya is afraid of thunder, spiders, and going into the basement alone. She is even afraid of Ms. Galvan, the old lady who lives across the street. After watching the Olympics, Maya decides that she wants to do gymnastics and that means being brave. In a humorous twist, Maya learns that old Ms. Galvan has a fear too. Both characters set out to tackle their fears. This story is a perfect balance of struggle, hard work, and achievement. Maya is a positive role model who overcomes fear through practice, determination, and bravery. Maya learns three important lessons which are presented at the back of the book. The reader learns another lesson: people, young and old, have fears and can overcome them. Thom weaves facts about gymnastics throughout: its history, competitive events, and scoring. On the last page, healthy tips are provided. This is an empowering book in the “Go! Go! Sports Girls” series. Young readers could have difficulty with the vocabulary and long paragraphs. The recommended age range on the website is five to ten; however, the book’s design, with big, bright, colorful illustrations, will likely appeal to children under age eight. Reviewer: Lorraine Donohue Bonzelet; Ages 5 to 10.

Children's Literature - Lorraine Donohue Bonzelet