A delightful introduction to a young boy who turns his personal hurdles—lack of confidence and not knowing how to capitalize on his strengths—into stepping stones for building friendships. Age-appropriate illustrations capture moments beautifully, conveying the emotional experience throughout. Because he suffers from asthma, six-year-old Monty is nervous about starting first grade, but he soon learns to cope with his illness and use his special talents to make friends.

A shy boy with asthma starts first grade — and comes into his own — in this appealing story for early chapter book readers.

Six-year-old Monty doesn’t have a brother, a sister, or a pet. What he does have is asthma, which sometimes makes it hard to breathe and often makes him feel like he’d rather be somebody else. And now that he’s starting first grade, he’s very nervous about being with all those kids he won’t know. Luckily, he loves to read — even really hard books — and has a talent for finding things, from a cocooning caterpillar to classmates who want to be in his very own club. With familiar situations and gentle humor, Johanna Hurwitz follows an endearing character as he discovers that being himself can be pretty great after all.