****PLEASE NOTE: I WON THIS BOOK IN A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY****

This review was originally posted at Melissa's Midnight Musings
on August 11 2012

Melissa's Musings:

Ambition's Not An Awful Word is funny, educational, realistic, and hopeful all rolled into one.

The first thing that caught my attention of course was the color. I love the color purple, and stars, so even though I'm not the 9-10 year old audience this is directed at I liked it just for that picture alone.

Then once you get inside the book it's even better. It starts out with Zack's teacher asking the class what they want to be when they grow up.

I remember being a kid and having tons of answers just like Zack does. If I'm honest, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, even at 26. I may have a bit more focus now, but I still have lots of ideas.

And just like the title says, these ideas are ambitious. They range from artist, to banker, to doctor and just about everything in between. The format of the story is that Zack has big dreams, and he wishes them wildly, putting in extravagant details of how his life as a certain professional would go. Then, on the next page, his dreams are taken down a notch with some realistic rebuttals.

My favorite of these is:
"If I were a chef, Cordon Bleu at Versailles, I'd wear a white tuxedo, cummerbund and bow tie. I would saute like a maestro. My souffle would be premier. Julia Child would be my mentor. And I would have no peer."
But the stove would yell out, "STOP! Don't put that oil in there. YOU still have a chance but I won't have a prayer. Tell the truth, you can't boil water, or make a piece of toast. Go outside. Light a fire. Have yourself a weenie roast." (pages 9-10)

As an adult, I see this from both sides. I appreciate Zack's hopefulness, and ability to dream big. But at the same time, I can also appreciate the other side. The side that says that no matter what your dreams are you may not always be able to achieve them, because life can get in the way. That right there is what I mean when I say this book is realistic.


Regardless of that, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having big dreams. Like the book jacket says, this book is funny, but the true heart of it is found within the last ten words:
Oh, the moon left you this message, "It's okay to dream."
That's an important message for anyone, child or adult alike. No matter how big your dreams are, go for them. You never know what could happen.
( )

Ambition is Not An Awful Word deals with an issue that I think, unfortunately, many children and adults can relate to readily - discouragement. Zack is ambitious, eager, and full of inspiration and dreams, but his teacher doesn't quite get his vision. Every time he creates something he will be when he grows up, the teacher shoots him down. Through hilarious dialogue, illustrations, rhyme and situations, Zack Zage and Adam Watkins addresses the importance of lofty goals and aspirations and overcoming naysayers as one strives to dream big and reach for the moon. Not only will children learn an important lesson through the humor, so should teachers, parents and all who work with children.

As a teacher who works mostly with very young children, this book is quite wordy for my clients. But, if I still taught elementary school (2nd grade and up) I would use this book regularly to open discussions, provide writing prompts, and encourage art projects.

Remember shoot for the moon, if you miss you will reach the stars! ( )

I received Ambition's Not An Awful Word from LibraryThing's March batch of giveaway books.

Upon reading the first two pages of the story, I'm immediately drawn into the wonderful lyrical rhyming format the story is written in. As a mother, I read the book to my own kids (similar range of age of another reviewer, 3 - 12). It lost the attention of my 3 and 5 year olds, which was to be expected since this book is targeted for fourth graders. My 8 year old, who is VERY inquisitive, held on for half the story and was (for lack of a better word) frustrated (mainly with me I think) because she kept asking for the meaning of unfamiliar words (and I just wanted to plow through on our first read).

My middle school child was interested but...still lacked a lot of familiarity with the terminology and specific vocabulary presented in the story. I can see this as a week long read and discussing each page on separate days. The magnificent choice of words and rhyming affects were most intriguing for me -- the adult reader. I TRULY enjoyed author Zack Zage's use of actual historical and present figures' and locales names (i.e. "If I were an architect, my buildings all would soar. The Eiffel Tower and Parthenon would be forgotten lore. Beside the River Seine, sprawls my newest Taj Mahal. From Montreal to Houston snakes my next China Wall.")

The underlining author's message is, "In your own imagination, you're supposed to reign supreme." I wholeheartedly agree with author Zack Zage, who also happens to be our main character in the story. :) When I first requested this book as a giveaway, I was looking for a book that I could use to encourage my kids to dream big. I think the story does that but with a lot of vocabulary previewing and post reading discussions. ( )

I read Ambition's Not An Awful Word by Zach Zage with my children who range in age from 4 to 14. We all loved it. In the book, the boy presents what he would like to be when he grows up. This is always met with reasons why it can't happen. The back and forth is continued though out the book. The pictures are imaginative. The language is fittingly ambitious for young children. There is a glossary in the back of the book which my reading children have all spent time with. They told me that they like the fact that the book mentions things they don't know about, because now they can learn about something new. How ambitious of them. ( )

Received it as an Early Reviewer. The illustrations are fun and I like the non-traditional jobs and lines of thought it includes. I'm proud to read a book to my son that does not "talk down" to him.