Thank you NetGalley and Capstone Editions for accepting my request to read and review A Bad Case of the Almosts.

Author: Janet Sumner Johnson
Published: 01/01/23
Genre: Children's Fiction -- Humor & Satire

Five stars from me. I know more adults that need this than kids, and just as quickly as I had this thought, the activity popped up at the end of the book. Kids need to learn the how and why we make choices. The activity shows the answers, beautifully. It won't hurt for adults to have a refresher.

The illustrations are whimsical. The cuteness makes for a cheery read. There is no cloud hanging over the almosts, just everyday occurrences. I like that the artwork is not dark, leaving open a friendly conversation.

I would gift this to kids going to school, caregivers, and babysitters.

One Thing that I understand after & while reading this picture book is that one must be anyone but never be an 'almost' to anything. This 'almost' has no count and contains no value at all.

Abby is a young girl who is almost to many things but not fully anything in her life, be it an achievement or daily chores. Her life full of 'almosts' is fun to read and seems to be an almost (haha) my life too.

This is a good book for kids especially if they are often looking on the negative side. Not only does this book allow them to see a more positive point of view, but it also allows them to make connections between their choices and the consequences of their choices whether those consequences be good or bad.

This is a delightful picture book. It features Abby, who has a bad case of the almosts. When the book begins, we see a list of things that almost happen, or situations that are almost what she wants. She almost cleans her room (but gets distracted), she almost gets 100% on her science test (99%), she almost has enough money for a toy she wants. After a day of almosts, she is upset - it feels like everything is an almost, but never quite what she wants.

Until she almost slips in a mud puddle, and another kid in her class slips and falls. She realizes that, in that case, almost was actually lucky. Curious to find out if "almost" is actually a bad thing, she decides to run an experiment keeping track of both her good and bad almosts to find out.

This is a delightful book. The art is stunning, the story is entertaining but also a wonderful lesson in appreciating the things that work out instead of focusing on the things that don't - and that sometimes things are better than they seem. It's a great lesson in relativity and positivity that I think readers from all ages can learn from or use a reminder of. Abby herself is an endearing character - she has a great sense of style (including ever-present yellow gloves).

As a parent, this book has what I look for. Story, art, lesson, and it even incorporates some important concepts like the scientific method, observation and even how to make decisions when faced with a disappointment. I love books that help kids figure out how to navigate difficult situations in life, but do so in a fun way. This book does exactly that. My kid and I had a great time reading it!

Thank you to Capstone Editions and Netgally for access to this lovely book!

Abby’s life is being ruined by the Almosts. She almost got the last cookie, she almost got to be her best friend’s science project partner, her room was almost clean, etc. She thinks the Almosts must always be bad, but are they? Abby does a science experiment to figure that out and what she learns surprises her and changes her. This book has great illustrations and is very well done. It is a great read for elementary age children.

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read this book.

What a fun way to look at how we can choose our reaction to the things that happen in our lives! Abby is a
Title girl who is extremely frustrated with the almosts in her life- almost first in line, almost the winning goal, almost having good things happen to her. When she sees another child fall and realizes she almost fell, she begins to think maybe almost can be an ok thing after all.

The book has vibrant illustrations, and the characters are drawn with the cutest facial expressions. The book is entertaining for kids and a fun way to show them to look on the bright side. The book even includes a decision show them how to choose how to react to a situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for the excellent ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is about Abby, a spunky little girl who finds herself so close to achieving what she wants, almost, but like her mom told her "almost doesn't count...". When someone else told her that sometimes "almost" can be good, she decided to conduct an experiment to test out if almost can be good and bad.

The art work in the book has a lot of wonderful details, with bright and beautiful colours.

My daughter loved the decision tree on the last page the most, as she loves the independence from choose- your- own adventure type of books.

A cute story investigating the concept of almost. This story reminds us that there are positives and negatives in any situation and it is our choice how we view them. Would be a great book to explore with children of any grade. The illustrations are bright and expressive. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Children will have fun exploring having a growth mindset. with Abby in this engaging, colorful children's book. Ms Colombo's illustrations bring Ms Johnson's story to life and help young readers learn that opportunities are all around us. With a helpful flowchart at the end, young readers can learn more positive reactions to upsets that could otherwise cloud their day. A fantastic SEL read for class, school library, or personal library.

This was such a sweet and relatable book! Little Abby just like most little girls out there. My 9yr old said she loved the story of almosts. The pictures are lovely, and the text is just the right amount for a quick, yet meaningful read.
Read it with your child and see what almosts you have going on in your life and how you choose to look at those.

I loved this book!
Great illustration? Check.
Scientific look at a problem? Check.
Perspective shift? Check.
A clever look at something mom can say 3758583 times but someone else needs to say it for child to hear it? Check.

It was cute, well written, clever and just what parents/teachers need on their shelves.

#abadcaseofthealmosts #netgalley

I'm smiling while reading this. :)))

The illustrations are fantastic; they are so vibrant. It is indeed significant to aim for positivity. What an amazing read!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for the copy.

Abby is a reflection of all of us in a child form. We are all determined, defiant, and very opinionated. However, despite working hard on things we want to do, things sometimes do not go in our favor. It is pretty frustrating to see it from Abby's point of view. But little Abby does not let all the "almost" in her life ruin her day. Abby hypothesizes that maybe not all "almost" are bad, and to prove that, she gets to observing, testing, and contemplating in a scientific method. This book is a great read to show my students that they can form their theory, test it out to learn, and even share their findings to help others.

The illustrations are fantastic! They are colorful and expressive and full of emotion and humor. There are illustrations and solid examples as to why situations that don't go in our favor can be a good thing. The Decision Tree at the end of the book was perfect for teaching little kids how to handle situations, make decisions, and react to problems that may occur in their life.

Wow! I've been smiling the entire time it took me to read the book :)

I love it. The curious innocence every child has, has been beautifully highlighted in this book. The story is very free-flowing. I kept turning the pages till I reached the end, and was at the edge of my seat wanting to find out which almost Abby discovers next. Janet has done a great job at writing this.

The illustrations are amazing! In fact, that's what caught my eye first. Be it the characters, or the details in the background, the expressions, all were top-notch. Great job by Alexandra.

Definitely a great read!

-ARC by NetGalley-

I just loved this story about almost , it sure gives kids a chance to see how life just happens sometimes and that you cannot do anything to stop so instead of getting angry , look at the bright side of things.

A Bad Case of the Almosts is a super-fun read with a solid STEM foundation.

Abby's problems and frustrations are easy to relate to. Her curious approach to how to deal with them is a lesson to us all - and a lesson that never comes across as preachy.

A great and empowering book about figuring things out for yourself - and sharing what you've learned to help others, it will be a nice fit in classrooms, and a fun introduction to using the scientific method in everyday life.

The illustrations are wonderful - bright and lively with some fun background details for readers who look closely.

Extra love for the decision tree at the back of the book. It's a fun thing for readers to use to try on a variety of possible responses.

Abby instantly reminded me of a lot of children in my school. Determined, defiant and opinionated, they seek out their own answers as to why things don't turn out in their favour. Well, Abby certainly succeeded in finding her own answers instead of demanding them from adults, which is a good start in my opinion. There are illustrations and solid examples as to why situations that don't go in our favour can actually be a good thing. I loved the 'decision tree' towards the end of the book. It was so cute, and shows how you can take bad situations and turn them into good ones for both you and others!

Abby has a bad case of the "almosts". She's fed up with almost getting what she wants all the time. Then somebody points out that sometimes "almost" is a good thing. Abby does an experiment to see if "almost" is good or bad. She learns a valuable lesson and figures out that's it's not all bad to be "almost".

Almost isn’t good enough. Or is it?

I loved reading this book about the power and possibilities within “almost” situations. Abby feels frustrated when life seems full of disappointing almost-disasters and almost-fun, but when she decides to investigate her “almosts,” she finds her own power and potential and ends her journey with a splash!

A great book for inspiring kids to navigate life’s challenges and turn almost-fails into opportunities for growth.

A Bad Case of the Almosts is a very cute and adorable read! Very easy to understand and I love how it teaches that almosts are not always bad and mostly a good, positive thing.