The Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric

Hardcover, 32 pages

Published October 19th 2004 by Doubleday 

Everybody’s a star, a brilliant creation.
The trouble is finding the right constellation!

Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O’Toole, the winning pair of friends from The Brand New Kid, are back in a new adventure. Ellie and Carrie decide to try out for the school team in their favorite sport, soccer. But when only one of the girls is selected, the inseparable pair faces a challenge (what do you say when your best friend is terribly disappointed?).

But while some disappointments can’t be avoided, Carrie learns (with some help from her mother and her old friend Lazlo) that while she may not be good at everything, she has undiscovered talents waiting to bloom, if she has the courage to try something new.

For every reader who has ever set his or her heart on joining a sports team, getting a part in the school play, or winning a class election, and been let down, Katie Couric’s reassuring and inspiring story gives a charming lesson in confidence.

As a parent, it is hard for me to watch my children struggle with anything, but I know that I have to let them fail sometimes no matter how hard it is (for both of us). This book is great for teaching us all that though we may be disappointed at what we view as failures, we learn that it is those things that allow us the opportunities to find what we are good at!

Teaching Ideas:

This is a fantastic read aloud for any age group. With younger children, you can use it at face value and discuss why it is important to keep trying. Middle and high school students can bring in more personal reflections, research people or companies who didn't succeed but kept trying, or even interview someone older than them about the things they learned from the things they weren't able to accomplish. The possibilities are endless!! 

Happy reading!