Kids Running and Triathlon Book Review: Pellie Runs a Marathon and Coco Loves to Tri

Recently, I wrote about these awesome children's books that I came across online. Pellie Runs a Marathon and CoCo Loves to Tri were by Michele Bredice Craemer.



I was so enthused about the books, that I wrote the author personally to thank her for promoting an active and healthy lifestyle to young readers. I was even more enthused when she offered to send me copies of both books for my children.



When I returned home one Sunday afternoon, after my last long outdoor run of the season, the package was there, waiting for me. The kids were so excited to get mail!






Each book included a personal motivational message from the author, Michele Bredice Craemer.





Paige was eager to look at the books right away. She is a kindergartener and is just starting to read the "early readers" books. She really enjoyed reading Pellie Runs a Marathon. She actually didn't need too much help, except for the longer words. There is also a lot of repition in the book, she got really excited that she needed less-and-less help as she went on. She began recognizing a lot of the words.



Our kids go to almost all of our races with us and cheer us on and spectate. Our oldest, who is almost 6 years old, really understand all that is involved with training and racing. She really does understand that it takes committment to juggle personal time and family time and knows that mommy and daddy need to fit their workouts in. She also understands that there are long races and shorter races and that that the races can take a lot out of us on race day. So, it was really neat to see Paige both read and understand what she was reading and the journey that the characters were taking. She also noticed right away that "this is a rhyming book". With a smile on her face, she enjoyed the flow of the words and repitition of the phrases throughout Pellie Runs a Marathon.


Pellie hears "You can do it!" and keeps right at it. As tough as things get, she keeps at it, until she finishes the marathon.

In CoCo Loves to Tri, even though CoCo is scared to get in the water, he has trained and knows he can overcome his fear. He conquers his fears and gets in the water, to start the race.Pellie the Duck also appears in CoCo Loves to Tri, as the pup's training buddy. After his long journey of swimming, biking and running, his training buddy sees him through to the finish line of the triathlon.

Paige personally identified with the girls in pigtails throughout Pellie Runs a Marathon. She kept spotting "herself" as she turned the pages. She also enjoyed reaching each mile marker and recognizing the numbers and counting her way through the 26.2 mile journey.

A duck was selected as the main character, Pellie, because Michele's son received a duckie from his grandmother and it was his favorite nightime companion. I love that she incorporated some her personal life in this book.

If you are interested in receiving your own copy of these books, the author has agreed to offer my readers a great discount for SIGNED COPIES! Please post here if you are interested in recieving a SIGNED book for $10.00 plus shipping. I will work directly with the author to get you your copy. Through Amazon.com the unsigned copies can be purchased for $12.95 plus shipping. These would make great holiday gifts for your little ones. What a great way to keep them active through the long winter season!!