I Promise

by LeBron James, Niña Mata (Illustrator)

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! An Instant Indie Bestseller! 

*An Amazon Best Book of the Year * A B&N Best Book of the Year*

A great gift for tiny go-getters and big dreamers, including for back to school!

NBA champion and superstar LeBron James pens a slam-dunk picture book inspired by his foundation’s I PROMISE program that motivates children everywhere to always #StriveForGreatness.

Just a kid from Akron, Ohio, who is dedicated to uplifting youth everywhere, LeBron James knows the key to a better future is to excel in school, do your best, and keep your family close.

I Promise is a lively and inspiring picture book that reminds us that tomorrow’s success starts with the promises we make to ourselves and our community today.

Featuring James’s upbeat, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations perfectly crafted for a diverse audience by #1 New York Times bestselling and Geisel Honor winning artist Nina Mata, this book has the power to inspire all children and families to be their best.

Perfect for shared reading in and out of the classroom, I Promise is also a great gift for graduation, birthdays, and other occasions.

Plus check out the audiobook, read by LeBron James's mother and I Promise School supporter Gloria James!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Inspirational, Fiction, Storytime, Cultural

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 11, 2020

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Promise is a book by LeBron James, inspired by his I Promise School, in Akron, Ohio. It’s no secret I love LeBron and when I heard this book was coming out, knew I’d have to read it!

I Promise is a picture book reminding kids to strive for greatness (one of LBJ’s mottos) and do their best, in everything. The book has a motivating message and includes great illustrations.

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I promise to reach for my star, even when I can't see it."

What a wonderfully inspiring collection of healthy promises for a child (or pretty much anyone) to make. I am a better person having read LeBron James's book, and I believe I'd benefit from a daily set of promises like these to remind me where I should let my day lead me.

"Nothing is given. Everything is earned." I'd like to add that everything worth having is earned. Like respect. Like trust. Like the things money can't buy.

I promise to make more promises, and keep them. Because the world deserves a better me out there, and kindness doesn't cost a thing.

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter’s asking me to read her a story. Read her this one and it’s a cute rhyming book of promises to do all the right things to be successful. Good diversity. Cute illustrations.

Read from kindle unlimited.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and adorable book teaching kids morals and to stay in school.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wholesome and encouraging! This is like a mantra of promises that are and will be fulfilled.

[alisonwonderland (Alison) · Rating 5 out of 5]

With bright, colorful illustrations, this picture book inspires us all to make commitments to be our best selves.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I promise to work hard and do what's right,
to be a leader in this game of life...."

This picture book by basketball superstar LeBron James proposes promises that children can take on, including to attend school and listen to their teachers, to ask questions, to persist, to try their best, to be helpful and respectful to others, promises James says were inspired by "the big dreams of kids in my hometown and around the world." Big. Bright. Hopeful. Inspiring.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's unfortunate the Asian characters are illustrated with eyes more slanted compared to the rest of the kids. It takes away from what could be a book with positive affirmations.

[Brandie Bridges-Sells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this to my children and they loved it. I also enjoyed it myself. The book was so positive and also sharing with children the possibilities of working hard and most importantly keeping your promise. This book was so good my children wanted me to read again, which of course I could not refuse. This book is a must read and should not be passed up.

[Ady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ibis Book Club has decided to pick up one children's book each month on top of our monthly pick. The goal is to read a quality children's book and donate it to a child. This month (September 2020), we kicked off this initiative with LeBron James's I Promise, which was a very good story that I hope brings joy to a child and helps to foster a love of reading early on. It focuses on achieving greatness by keeping the promises that you make to yourself and to your community and is a great book for motivation and encouragement of young readers.

[Michelle Schaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with simple, affirmative statements that kids can embrace, this book is a great one for teachers to read to students at the start of the school year. LeBron weaves basketball metaphors into his text “I promise… to throw the alley-oop and uplift others…to run full court and show up each time” to give the story a fun and unique flavor. Children from diverse backgrounds will see themselves in the vibrant, inclusive illustrations. This book’s getting an MVP spot on my character education shelf!

-Michelle Schaub, Author of KINDNESS IS A KITE STRING

[Beth Honeycutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book to share at the beginning of the school year.

[☆Amanda Cresse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Back-to-School read!

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that will help children deal with the current situation we are in...things will get back to normal...your potential is still waiting to bloom.

[Mariah Akinbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

read it thrice! in one day! 🤪

my fav quotes:

“i promise to ask for help whenever i need it.”

“To reach for my star, even when I can’t see it.”

“I promise to ask questions and find answers…
to believe in next time and second chances.”

“I promise to stay true, keep my head up, and never give up…no matter what.”

“I promise to dream big and love bigger…”

“I promise to cross bridges, and break down walls,..”

hahah basically it’s all good, for kids and adults

[Teacher Librarian Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book to read at the start of the school year and each school day. Inspiring, inclusive and uplifting, a book that can be read again and again. Lebron has really slam dunked this one, warming my heart and sparking my mind.
‘I promise to go to school and read as much as I can’

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I Promise” is a book of promises every kid should make. An inspiring book!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I promise to be me."

3.5 out of 5 stars

Since this is a very short book and I don't have much to say about it, let's start with the positives. I will give props to LeBron James for giving back to his community in many generous ways through his various foundations and really working hard to uplift the youth in his former home. That's always heartwarming to see. The illustrations were very colorful and appealing to the eye, with added points to the illustrator for drawing a world that we would all like to live in.

The best way that I can describe this book is that it was... fine. Just fine. It's the equivalent of a student turning in an assignment and them getting an average grade. There wasn't anything horribly wrong with it and they did everything that was asked of them, but they weren't striving for extra credit either. They followed all the bullet points and did that and nothing else. That doesn't mean anything bad. It just means that out of all the children's books I've read, this one doesn't contain anything super special.


He's not an author though, and I'm pretty sure this book wasn't written with winning the Pulitzer Prize in mind. It gets the job done, though. This is a book I would have in a classroom library if I were a teacher and something that would be good to read to children at the start of each day.

Every child deserves the chance to succeed, and it starts first with words we speak to them. There can never be too many books with positive messages for children, and while this one wasn't the most amazing in the entire world, the messages were endearing, sweet, and positive.

[Cassandra L. Manna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely adorable book that reads as a rhyme and a daily mantra. It encourages kids to be the best they can be on easy to understand concepts that are attainable at almost every age. The book ends with a letter from LeBron James about how his I PROMISE School students have a daily mantra they say every morning to encourage them to learn and finish school. I loved it.

The artwork was also beautiful. The children featured were diverse, majority BIPOC, and were a great display of what most kids see regularly in public schools. I also loved the amount of all-girl sports pictures there were. Girl power!

Rate Procedure:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved the book so much I would reread it again and would recommend to a friend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Thoroughly enjoyed the book, could not put it down, would recommend to a friend, but do not need to read again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Probably a good book that I enjoyed but there was something about it I did not love (e.g. The writing style, the POV, etc.). I would only recommend to a friend if it was their "type" of book.
⭐️⭐️ - A book I have below average feelings for and it would not come with a recommendation from me but I would mention it in conversation if related to the book topic at issue.
⭐️ - I finished the book but I hated every second of it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this audio book from Libro.fm. I am not an avid basketball fan, but very much enjoyed the connections of making self promises and life lessons. The promises encouraged is this sweet story are simple enough for children, but applicable for individuals of all ages.

I did not particularly enjoy the Libro.fm narrator, Gloria James. I am not familiar with this individual, but the last name leads me to believe she may be a family member who wanted to be part of this project. It is important for diction, articulation, and elocution to be accurate when presenting oral reading to young readers. What they hear is what they will one day mimic as readers. This narrator drops consonants such as /s/ in “ask” and pronounced it as “ax.” That is unacceptable when modeling good oral reading for children.

I was also fortunate enough to find the Barnes & Nobel virtual story time session in which the illustrator, Nina Mata, narrated. Malta’s illustrations are beautiful, with a diverse representation of children, and sweet images that support the text.

This is one of those great meaningful picture story books that you hope your children will take to heart and internalize its teachings.

Well done LeBron!

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

At these social distancing times, you could encourage your student to talk to you about what making a promise means to them. By helping them develop and define the name, “promise.” At a young age, students in the classroom will most likely communicate successfully in the future with understanding of keeping words clean as a toothbrush ; to keep a promise is like doing whatever you’ll say that you will do. Develop a solid listening pattern with to your students. Influencing their lives is one of the greatest things u can do as a human. Don’t tune out your kid & miss the opportunity for meaningful guidance. If u never listen to your classroom and spend all of your time barking orders at students, then the students shan’t feel respected nor properly praised or cared for. At the same time, when your student asks you a question, any question, have for them the correct and appropriate answer. Sometimes promises are made—and broken just keep in mind it is not about the promise being broke; it’s about the response we have when our promise has yet to become fulfilled. I’m going to be inspired before bed tonight, ntg but awesome read!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little didactic picture book which gives examples from children's lives on how to develop self-regulation and self-awareness, forgiveness and goal-setting. Good examples of diverse race, but there's not much in the way of inclusiveness of disabilities. When will illustrators start including cochlear implants, walkers, braces, wheelchairs, etc. in their groups of children at a school as carefully as we now include all the races? Despite that, the message of the book is brilliant and clear. I'd keep it at your desk and read it after your classroom had a bad day to help them get back together on the same page.

Yes, yes, every celebrity is writing a children's book. This one is worth a read, though.

[Alex Oletzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I promise to be open and try new things and enjoy the happy that change can bring."

A wonderful story about promising yourself to try to be your best. I loved it and think that it would be a great read at the beginning of the school year.

[Chance Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I promise to never recommended didactic books written by celebrities.

[Dan]

The audiobook was fantastic. I loved that it was read by LeBron James's mother. I will wait on rating the book until read a physical copy as well.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holden and I loved this book! He's asked to read it several more times, too! This is a great one for the classroom, as well!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenge to commit to being the best person you can be. The illustrations reflect all types of readers so they will relate to the actions and the text. A great read aloud.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Promise is a book about the promises that children should make to themselves to make sure they’re getting the most out of their childhood, their schooling, and the world around them. For example, this book has children promising to ask for help when they need it, promising to read as much as they can, promising to be team players, etc. In creating this community and striving to achieve these goals, it is the hope of the author that these children will go far in the world. Additionally, children are promising to always be themselves.

This book is a good example of a multicultural and multiracial classroom/friend group representation that works without trying too hard. The students in this book are all different but they are all friends and working together to build a community. I would use this book to ask students to make these promises, but also to perhaps discuss what promises like this could mean for them and their peers.

The illustrations in this book are dynamic, vibrant, and absolutely gorgeous – which makes sense, because the illustrator has won many awards for her work. I think that since this is by Lebron James, there are going to be young readers that appreciate it instantly just because they like Lebron (and I think that’s a great way to get them invested in some of these promises). I think this book is diverse in a positive, unforced way.

[Carol Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is precious! The story and illustrations are both fantastic :-)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet children’s picture book that encourages kids to make a commitment to strive for greatness in all aspects of their life.