In this autobiographical picture book, Laurie Hernandez–gold medal-winning Olympic Gymnast and New York Times Bestselling Author–shares her experience as a young gymnast through the character of Zoe, a young girl with a winning, infectious smile. As a little girl, Zoe sees the birds flying outside of her window and the gymnasts flying on TV. She wants to fly, too, so her dad and mom sign her up for gymnastics lessons. Soon she is tumbling on the floor, swinging on the bars, and–best of all–balancing on the beam. One day, Zoe takes a leap on the beam, tumbles, and falls hard. At home, dejected and hurting, she listens as each of her family members offer advice to try and encourage her. None of it helps, until Laurie’s mom suggests they go out for “celebration ice cream.”
“What are we celebrating?” asked Zoe’s brother. “Zoe’s first fall!” said Zoe’s mom. “It’s good news. . . each fall makes you better.” Zoe returns to gymnastics practice the following week, knowing that if she falls, it will be ok–the important thing is to “[get] right back on.” Through getting up after falls again and again, Zoe learns to tolerate both mistakes and uncertainty: “She didn’t know if she would fall or if she would land safely. But she knew one thing . . . . She was ready to fly.”
Content: 4.5/5
She’s Got This teaches little perfectionists to dream big and act on their dreams (instead of procrastinating or avoiding them because of fear). It also teaches them to expect “falls” –but not to be discouraged by them. In this book, Zoe teaches us that falling is normal, frequent, and good. I love the idea that failure is something to celebrate; what a powerful message for kids for whom failure is one of the worst things imaginable, something to be avoided at all costs.
In this book, Zoe teaches us that falling is normal, frequent, and good.
I love the message in this book because it normalizes “failure” and re-envisions it as a gift. In Laurie’s own words in the author’s note at the back of the book, “falling is how you learn.”
The book’s target age listed as 4-8, although the simple message in this book is helpful for any child or adult struggling with anxiety.
Style: 3/5
Although the book does not contain any particularly creative language, it does feature many strong verbs, such as the following: balance, perch, grip, soar.
Design: 4/5
Although the text is simple, the illustrations are colorful and full of life, just like Zoe–whose springy curls and infectious smile shine from nearly every page. Zoe’s story is even more compelling knowing that an Olympic athlete is the very one who, like Zoe, began her career with lots of falls. The back cover even features photos of Laurie Hernandez in action as a little girl.
Overall: 11.5/15
Author Laurie Hernandez’s personal story behind “She’s Got This”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6AbnzRU-tU
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