Brenda Colby

In the second installment of the Red Nose Books series, little Jimmy’s philosophy of life has always been to “keep your sunny side up,” as the old song goes. But how can you do that when you’re feeling down in the dumps and everything is going wrong? Through interactive rhetorical questions, Never Give Up! encourages conversation between young readers and parents to develop ideas about perseverance and weathering hard times with a positive attitude.

Never Grow Up! teaches us to retain our childlike wonder of the world. Jimmy, the narrator and my husband, was a firm believer in never growing up–and he never did. His childlike wonder inspired others to live a life of fun and joy in spite of difficult times. The dialogue in this book encourages readers to interact with Jimmy, sharing answers about feelings as Jimmy asks questions. Adults and children will learn from each other as they read the book together, which offers a message of hope to both younger and older readers, and a promise that someone is always there to help you. Never Grow Up! shows us all that there truly is light at the end of the tunnel.