Synopsis:
A picture book about a girl taking her karate test who must conquer the dreaded Mister D (for doubt).

Review:
We read a ton of kids’ books in this house–both my girls just adore being read to. I don’t blog about them because I just don’t have that kind of time in my life. So it was a treat to be offered the chance to review Mister D, a really empowering story about a girl who is scared she won’t succeed at her karate test. Her Aunt Mary tells her about Mister D–for doubt–and gives Julie the confidence to defeat him. I loved this story because it wasn’t set in a girly girl world, and because Julie’s struggles were so relatable. I read it to my 4 1/2 year old and she enjoyed it, too. She really wants to take karate herself and I know she liked seeing a girl do something that she wants to do herself. And I want to make a special note of the anime-inspired illustrations, which had me checking out Daniela Frongia’s other books.

Many thanks to Castlebridge Books for the review copy.