Little Reading Coach

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book from the author to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

I do have moments when I compare my childhood in the 90s to Molly’s today. While I did watch TV, I was also riding my bike, going on play dates, and playing sports. I was quite an active kid. I feel that kids these days are more inclined to stay inside and socialize on social media, play video games, or watch TV.

Cutie Sue Wins the Race, by Kate Melton, is a realistic story about a little girl who is motivated and supported to change her lifestyle and win a race.

When we first meet Cutie Sue, she is a couch potato. She is inspired to get in shape when she decides she wants to win first place in a race at school. Her dad takes her for a run and Cutie Sue realizes that she is going to need to work hard to get in shape.

Personally, I love Cutie Sue’s dad. He helps his daughter practice, but also teaches her lifestyle changes (drinking water, eating right, having fun) that truly help her prepare for the race. Dad is supportive in his guidance. He doesn’t sugar coat the situation by saying how amazing Cutie Sue is, instead, he is out there with his daughter keeping track of her times.

I was also a huge fan of how Melton teaches readers that exercise and eating healthy can change your life in a positive way. Not only does Cutie Sue get faster at running, her body felt stronger, her energy was higher and she had more confidence. In one of the pictures, it shows Cutie Sue turning down candy as she’s eating veggies. I liked this visual reenforcement because typically kids will pick sweets over healthy foods.

I could see this picture book working really well with kids in preschool through 2nd grade. I also think it could work very well in an early elementary health curriculum about exercising and eating right.

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