Viking Strong

PreS-Gr 2–Heartwarming and laugh-out-loud hilarious, this book is refreshingly expressive from start to finish. Ingrid is a blonde braid-wearing Viking. Her sweetheart, Stig, and a variety of petite kittens support Ingrid as she wants more than anything to win the Strongest Viking Contest. However, the final category is swimming, and Ingrid doesn’t know how to swim! To help Ingrid achieve her goal and be ready for some stiff competition, Stig, with the cavalry of cute kittens, coaches as she trains for the big event. It isn’t until, deep down, with chaos ensuing above, and the finish line in sight that Ingrid realizes what it means to be a strong Viking. Cenko’s crisp storytelling, with expert pacing and anticipatory page turns, will have young readers kept in suspense while cheering on Ingrid’s efforts. Lively colorfully drawn illustrations of oversized, comically fierce, snaggle-toothed Vikings alongside tiny kittens support the theme of kindness while also noting that some things are more important than winning, rounding out a humorous and uplifting read for all.