Jag

Day after lazy day, Jag plays happily by herself in the jungle, practicing her roar and climbing trees. She sees no reason for going to school. Isabel, the old parrot, thinks Jag will love getting to know other jaguars her age. But Jag has a secret, and she’s afraid that when the other jaguars find out about it, they’ll laugh at her. Young schoolgoers will be inspired by Jag’s bravery in this story about facing your fears and standing up for your beliefs.

Award-winning country chanteuse Leann Rimes writes her first children's book Jag, the story of a young jaguar who dreads her first day of school but learns to meet her fears head-on. She isn't afraid of meeting new friends ("Who needs that stuff?"), but she is deeply afraid of the swimming lessons she knows are inevitable: "Nothing frightened Jag more than the river. She preferred solid ground, which didn't shift and slip under her paws." Isabel, the wise parrot, warns Jag that if she doesn't learn to swim, she'll have to stand up to the ridicule of her peers as well as her fears. Sure enough, the trouble starts the first day of school when the jaguar cub announces her nickname Jag. "Who's next? Ow the Owl?" someone cries. It only gets worse at the river the next day during swimming lessons. But when one young jaguar named Simon with completely black fur (no spots!) shows up for class and is ridiculed for his appearance, Jag has to decide whether to revel in being part of the group du jour or to be kind to the newcomer. In the end, she not only befriends Simon, she releases such a huge roar for a tiny jaguar that her classmates tremble in their fur. Kids who are afraid of school, or troubled by the ways in which they are challenged by the group, may be inspired by this winning story of a small cat who takes on peers and fears with a growl and not a whimper. Illustrator Richard Bernal creates a soft, friendly, Disneyesque jungle where butterflies yawn and kittenish jaguars walk upright. (Ages 4 and older) --Karin Snelson