I Am Strong! (2025) is the third book I’ve read by Todd Parr, and I have to say, each one is giving a better sense of why he sells millions of copies.
I Am Strong! doesn’t really have a story. Instead, it opens what looks like a panda cosplaying a superhero (with a crown) saying, “I am strong because…” The rest of the book completes that sentence over and over, in different and surprising ways. For example, the first example finishes it with “I am brave,” and shows a lion roaring…and a much smaller creature (mouse?) roaring back.
The rest of the sentence completions range from the somewhat expected (a bird not giving up when trying to learn to fly) to much more surprising completions, like animals meditating, managing their emotions, and learning in their own ways.
Parr illustrates all of these in his familiar vivid style, making things like cleaning up after yourself a form of strength–and pleasant to read.
