Ambition's Not An Awful Word

By Zack Zage

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey. What do they have in common? They were all normal kids with big ambitions. And, they were all very successful. Success is not guaranteed in life but the following mathematical formula must be followed if success is to be achieved. SUCCESS = 1) Normal kid + 2) Big ambition + 3) Willingness to work hard + 4) Toughness to take a fall + 5) Resilience to get up and try again + 6) Plenty of encouragement. It is impossible to succeed if any of the above ingredients are missing. "Ambition's Not An Awful Word" is about this formula for success in general and about #6 Encouragement in particular. This book should be required reading, not just for every child, but for every parent, boss, teacher, and mentor of any stripe. If the parents of Bill or Steve had insisted on an accounting degree or dental school, I would be writing this description on a typewriter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zack Zage
• Release date: May 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983607809

Zack Zage

Zack was an average child who grew up in Greensboro, NC, received a degree in Economics from Duke University, and an MBA from UNC - Chapel Hill. He had all the ambitions of a normal kid in the following order. Fireman - Professional Golfer - Olympic Equestrian - Financier - Inventor - Artist - Author - Husband & Dad. He was somewhat successful in some and not so in others. He is still a kid with many ambitions.

Book preview

Ambition’s Not An Awful Word

Written by Zack Zage

Illustrated by Adam Watkins

Cover Illustration by Adam Watkins

Cover by Joleene Naylor

Published by Ivy Court Press

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Zack Zage

Contents

Ambition’s Not An Awful Word

Glossary

Ambition’s Not An Awful Word

'Twas early in the school year, my teacher had a plan.

"'Me bags’ were our first grade gig. Grade two we mailed Flat Stan.

Third grade was filled with haiku poems. Now that’s my cup of tea.

This year, dear class, the theme for you is, ‘what I want to be.’"

My hand shot up. Me first! Me first! Ms. Grundy stared me down.

We’ll start with Ann A., she’ll go first. Zack don’t act like a clown.

Oh no, that dreaded alphabet. Why was my last name Zage?

But with the bell about to ring, I finally took the stage.

Reviews for Ambition's Not An Awful Word

[N · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

ending was good ... vocabulary good and easy
Good Read

[paulkid_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think it's necessary to have books like this that try to get across complicated concepts to young kids. A really good example of this is "Fill a bucket", which gets across the idea of altruism in a very accessible way. This book tries to get across the idea of perseverance and empowerment. It falls a little search in terms of clarity, sometimes the rhymes are stretched so much that the concepts attempted are a little fuzzy. There is a lot of vocabulary that needs explaining. That makes it a little impenetrable for kids, but on the other hand it opens up so many doors of conversation with your kids that it's worth it.

[books46 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received Ambition's Not An Awful Word from LibraryThing's March batch of giveaway books. Upon reading the first two pages of the story, I'm immediately drawn into the wonderful lyrical rhyming format the story is written in. As a mother, I read the book to my own kids (similar range of age of another reviewer, 3 - 12). It lost the attention of my 3 and 5 year olds, which was to be expected since this book is targeted for fourth graders. My 8 year old, who is VERY inquisitive, held on for half the story and was (for lack of a better word) frustrated (mainly with me I think) because she kept asking for the meaning of unfamiliar words (and I just wanted to plow through on our first read). My middle school child was interested but...still lacked a lot of familiarity with the terminology and specific vocabulary presented in the story. I can see this as a week long read and discussing each page on separate days. The magnificent choice of words and rhyming affects were most intriguing for me -- the adult reader. I TRULY enjoyed author Zack Zage's use of actual historical and present figures' and locales names (i.e. "If I were an architect, my buildings all would soar. The Eiffel Tower and Parthenon would be forgotten lore. Beside the River Seine, sprawls my newest Taj Mahal. From Montreal to Houston snakes my next China Wall.")The underlining author's message is, "In your own imagination, you're supposed to reign supreme." I wholeheartedly agree with author Zack Zage, who also happens to be our main character in the story. :) When I first requested this book as a giveaway, I was looking for a book that I could use to encourage my kids to dream big. I think the story does that but with a lot of vocabulary previewing and post reading discussions.

[heatherhomeschooler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Ambition's Not An Awful Word by Zach Zage with my children who range in age from 4 to 14. We all loved it. In the book, the boy presents what he would like to be when he grows up. This is always met with reasons why it can't happen. The back and forth is continued though out the book. The pictures are imaginative. The language is fittingly ambitious for young children. There is a glossary in the back of the book which my reading children have all spent time with. They told me that they like the fact that the book mentions things they don't know about, because now they can learn about something new. How ambitious of them.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Ambition's Not an Awful Word by Zach Zage, the author presents a protagonist, based on himself, explaining all the imaginative things he wants to do when he grows up, each time being rebuffed by another, who explains that his plans are stupid, or that he is incapable of accomplishing them.The book is presented with clever color illustrations, and a somewhat steady rhythmic poetry. While Zage does include several references to things that may be beyond the understanding of younger children, he presents a glossary with several definitions for key terms, sometimes with tongue-in-cheek descriptions.The philosophy of the story is good, but I found that the story concept (the idea and the rebuttal) might be lost on a fourth grader (it's been a while since I was one, so I'm not quite sure). In the end, I was wishing for more empowerment for the main character, even though I found the back-and-forth to be appealing.I recommend this book for parents of children who have imaginations that seem bigger than themselves. Read it along with your kid and you might just realize that it's not the imagination that's too big, but that the kid just hasn't grown into it yet.

[mkh4d · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although written for fourth graders, Ambition's Not An Awful Word by Zack Zage is excellently written for Adults and Children alike. Some of the words and phrases in the book may be difficult for young children; however, the glossary is both funny and informative. The illustrations, which are beautifully done by Adam Watkins, complement the text and help children to better understand the story. I loved this book and thought it was inspiring. It teaches children to believe in their dreams, no matter how far-fetched others may believe those dreams to be.

[m9henderson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has a pretty large glossary for a kids book, but I guess if we're telling kids it's okay to dream then they might as well dream of a larger vocabulary. I don't think this book is for every kid, but I really enjoyed reading it. Will probably give it to a friend with two young boys and see what they make of it.

[danielle4montgomery · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ambition's Not An Awful WordI received this book from the March 2012 Giveaway batch. The idea of this book, that it's ok to dream big, is very encouraging for children. Zack Zage (the main character of the book) looks like a runty little kid but that's part of what makes him so lovable. Zack is in the fourth grade and the theme is 'What I Want to Be.' So with each flip of the page, Zack describes a new ambition, from being an astronaut to a writer. And with each ambition, he's told why he would be bad at that job. The illustration is superb! The majority of the writing is really good and would be easy for children to understand and enjoy. There were, however, a couple of pages where I think the author could have found a better word or phrase in order to make the rhymes, as a few of the rhyming schemes felt forced or the rhyming word didn't quite make much sense to that particular "ambition". Overall, this was a nicely illustrated children's book and I will definitely share it with my nieces and nephews. Danielle

[eggsnhm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an utterly delightful and imaginative book that takes "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" and carries it forward for a new generation. Beautifully illustrated, this wonderful work gives kids permission to dream big, and encourages them to do so. I was thrilled.

[twlite_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won this book from a LibraryThing giveaway It's very well written and illustrated. This book was very enjoyable and even as an adult, it kept me very interested. It's about a boy who has big..big dreams and it seems that everything is standing in his way, even his fourth grade teacher. It has a great story to tell and has a great incouraging ending. I'm going to give this book to a little boy I know that I think could really use a story like this and really enjoy it. Great book that I will highly recommend to your readers.

[sealford_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Even as an adult reader, I found this book to be priceless. The illustrations are very beautiful, and I think that the lesson learned in the book is a good one for people of all ages. I also like that the author is from my home state, North Carolina.

[koalamom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When you're in the fourth grade, it's okay to dream big. Your life is way ahead of you. Who knows what lies ahead, what you will become - don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

[homeschoolbookreview · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you make it? Or if you are a kid, what do you want to become? Zack Zage is a student in Ms. Grundy’s fourth grade class, and the theme for the year is “What I want to be.” Zack raises his hand to go first, but the teacher insists on proceeding alphabetically, starting with Ann A. When Zack finally gets his turn, he tells how he might want to be an astronaut, a cowpoke, a singer, a chef, an artist, a doctor, an architect, a banker, a lawyer, or a writer, but in each case some reason is given why he can’t do that. The other kids tease him as an exaggerating boaster. What can his mom say to him that night so that he won’t feel so down? When you think of some of our nation’s greatest inventors—the telegraph’s Samuel F. B. Morse, the telephone’s Alexander Graham Bell, the automobile factory’s Henry Ford, the electric light’s Thomas Edison, the airplane’s Wilbur and Orville Wright, and so on—they all started out as normal kids with big ambitions. Unfortunately, in some neighborhoods today, children who want to study hard and receive a good education so that they can get ahead in life are laughed at and made fun of. Ambition is one of the most important traits that kids can develop. Author Zack Zage grew up in a small town in North Carolina with all the ambitions of a normal youngster. Ambition’s Not an Awful Word, with its text in humorous verse and the fabulous illustrations by Adam Watkins, will encourage children as it reminds them that “it’s OK to dream.” And the glossary at the end is as uproariously funny as the story!

[zackzage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Mrs. Grundy asks her fourth grade class what they want to be when they grow up, Zack Zage goes all out. To his dismay, his precocious dreams are not met with great enthusiasm. Children will love this story about an ambitious little kid with big dreams. Ambition’s Not An Awful Word will have you and your kids laughing out loud. The illustrations by Adam Watkins are fabulous. And, the glossary is unforgettably funny. It is a gift to all the parents who have struggled to stay awake while reading a bedtime story to the kids.