She’s Got This

Olympic gold medalist Hernandez tells a loosely autobiographical story about a child who aspires to be a gymnast. Zoe, a girl with thick, dark curls, loves to be on the balance beam—until she falls off: “Zoe’s knee hurt. Her shoulder hurt. Her head hurt. Inside, her heart hurt, too.” With a bandaged knee, Zoe tearfully tells her family that she wants to quit classes. But after hearing her siblings’ stories of falling and getting up, and after her family celebrates her “first fall” with ice cream (“Each fall makes you better,” her mother says), she bravely returns to class. Mata conveys Zoe’s straightforward emotions in assuring digital art. Hernandez offers a heartfelt endnote for budding athletes: “Even as an Olympian, I still feel scared when I try something new, inside or outside the gym. But I never let fear hold me back.” Ages 4–8. (Oct.)