ABOUT THE BOOK
Brave Like Me
Written by Karen Henrich
Illustrated by Jordan Foster
Ages: 4-8 | 38 Pages
Publisher: Mascot Kids (2026) | ISBN-13: 979-8891388895
Publisher's Book Summary: When a mysterious figure appears, Benny Bear, Remy Raccoon, Ruby Rabbit, and Mabel Mouse are filled with questions—and a little fear. One by one, they venture into the cold to investigate. But the more they look, the more the mystery seems to change . . .
With courage, curiosity, and a lot of heart, these four friends discover that sometimes the unknown isn't so scary after all—especially when you face it together.
This delightful rhyming tale celebrates friendship, bravery, and the magic of seeing things clearly—with just a little help from the morning sun.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon: https://link.amazon/B05ZWDKT5
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/
MY REVIEW
The unknown can be very intimidating. When we aren’t sure what something is, or what is happening, we sometimes imagine the worst and frighten ourselves. The four friends in this story each try to figure out what the strange thing on the hill above them is, but they each report back with a different description. How will they solve the mystery?
This rhyming story of four woodland friends is set in a snowy forest. The opening illustration features glistening white all around with a deep blue night sky and even darker blue shadowy trees in the distance. Up close, warm golden light spills from the entrance of the homes of each of the friends. Benny Bear sleeps in a cave with jars of honey on a nearby shelf. Ruby Rabbit has her burrow decorated with carrot-patterned wallpaper. Mabel Mouse is tucked into a walnut shell bed in her treehouse. And Remy Raccoon keeps a stack of detective books stacked near the bed.
Readers follow along as Benny is awakened by a rock rolling past his den and when he climbs up the hill, he encounters a large creature that raises its paws at him. He retreats down the hill and tells Remy what he has seen, Relishing the chance to solve the case, Remy goes to investigate and comes back to say she saw a creature swishing its tail back and forth. Every time one of the friends heads up the hill, they come back with an impression unlike that of everyone else. But when they decide to face the stranger together, they finally realize what has been going on - what the reader has seen all along - they were afraid of shadows!
This story gently makes an important point to youngsters about how easy it is to project our fears into a situation that makes us nervous. But it also shows that facing such a situation with the support of friends is much easier. As the author says in her introduction, "it's okay to be scared and even better to be brave, especially when we face things together.” Share this story with someone you know who is having a hard time finding their own courage and getting over their jitters about something that intimidates them. You will both feel better afterwards.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen lives in Northern California's San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Scott. When they're not working, they love packing up their bulldog Mabel (and now you know where one of the character names came from!) and heading out on road-trip adventures in their Airstream, which they named Fiddlesticks. Along the way, they cook (well, Scott cooks—Karen is much better at watching), hike, explore, and spend lots of nights laughing around the campfire.
Karen is also the very proud mom of two grown sons, who somehow managed to find two pretty wonderful wives. She loves stories, photographs, adventures, family, and finding a little magic in unexpected places—which may explain how four woodland friends ended up taking her on an adventure of their own. And she's so happy they did.
Website: https://bravelikemebook.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
When Jordan Foster isn't bringing Benny, Remy, Ruby, and Mabel to life on the page, she's usually creating something else. By day, Jordan is a graphic designer at Warner Bros. Discovery. Brave Like Me is her first children's book.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Tuesday, October 6, 2026: The Children's Book Review (Book Tour Kick-Off)
Thursday, October 8, 2026: @GetOutsideAndRead (Instagram Post)
Friday, October 9, 2026: Country Mamas With Kids (Book Review)
Monday, October 12, 2026: Crafty Moms Share (Book Review)
Tuesday, October 13, 2026: Deliciously Savvy (Book Review)
Thursday, October 15, 2026: icefairy's Treasure Chest (Book Review)
Friday, October 16, 2026: Q&As with Deborah Kalb (Author Interview with Karen Henrich)
Monday, October 19, 2026: The Starlit Path (Book Review)
Tuesday, October 20, 2026: Cover Lover Book Review (Book Review)
Thursday, October 22, 2026: Life Skills 2 Learn (Book Review)
Friday, October 23, 2026: @
Monday, October 26, 2026: @nissa_the.bookworm (Instagram Post)
Tuesday, October 27, 2026: @avainbookland (Instagram Post)
Thursday, October 29, 2026: Confessions of a Book Addict (Book Spotlight)
Friday, October 30, 2026: One More Exclamation (Book Review)
Monday, November 2, 2026: Lisa's Reading (Author Interview with Karen Henrich)
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Un Viaje en Libro (Book Review)
Thursday, November 5, 2026: @books.with.courtney (Book Review)
Friday, November 6, 2026: The Fairview Review (Book Review)
This post is sponsored by Karen Henrich. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.
