• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

What does it mean to be tough? Kim finds out in this moving mother-daughter story about family hardship, vulnerability and love, perfect for fans of Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors.

Kim's mum is tough. Everyone says so. She can deal with unruly customers at the Red Rooster with a snap of her fingers.

Kim is tough, too. She doesn't need to wear a hat to keep her ears warm. And she can make soup all by herself, even without the stove.

Kim and her mum are tough.

But Kim is learning that sometimes toughness doesn't look like what you'd expect.

In this tender exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, Kim and her mother learn that in order to support and truly take care of each other, they need to be tough -- and that sometimes being tough means showing vulnerability and asking for help.

LANA BUTTON a grandi dans la petite ville frontalière de St. Stephen, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Elle a une formation d’actrice et d’éducatrice de la petite enfance. Ses albums illustrés ont été en nomination pour plusieurs récompenses, dont les prix Blue Spruce, Shining Willow, le Jean Throop IODE Award et le Rainforest of Reading. Elle est bénévole pour les organisations littéraires IBBY Canada, First Book et One World Schoolhouse. Lana et son mari ont trois filles adultes et vivent à Burlington, en Ontario.

LANA BUTTON grew up in the tiny border town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick. She has a background in acting and early childhood education. She writes for young children, and her picture books have been shortlisted for numerous awards. She enjoys reading books out loud whenever she gets the chance.

Lana Button's profile page

Carmen Mok is a studio-art graduate of the University of Waterloo, and a crafts and design graduate of Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada. Her books include Waiting for Sophie by Sarah Ellis, Look at Me Now by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones, and Ride the Big Machines in Winter. She recently illustrated Grandmother’s Visit by Betty Quan, which was named an Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Picture Book Honor Title, was on the shortlist of the IODE Ontario Jean Throop Book Award and was selected for the Ontario Library Association Best Bets List. Carmen lives in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Carmen Mok's profile page

• Winner, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award

One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2021
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Favourite Book of the Year (2021)

“Powerful in its vulnerability.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Mok offers simple, carefully shaded gouache and colored-pencil art, underlining this sensitive portrayal of the bond between one mother and child navigating difficult circumstances and whether to welcome help.” —Publishers Weekly

"Powerful stuff." —Wall Street Journal

"This tender tale imparts that asking for help shows toughness, too." —New York Times

“Lana Button gently explores the pressures that kids feel when they have to take on the roles that the adults in their lives can’t.” —Globe and Mail

“Readers should come away from the story realizing that staying ‘tough’ is not the only answer.” —Horn Book