The Bravest of Us All Review

The Bravest of Us All is a lovely storybook based on a previously published picture book of the same name.

Told in the first person, this story opens up with younger sister Ruby Jane going into great detail about the bravest sibling she has - older sister Velma Jean, who possesses the confidence to do just about anything, making Ruby Jean feel somewhat ordinary. Things change, however, when their family farm is hit by a tornado and Velma Jean is afraid to go into the basement until Ruby Jane, facing strong winds, comes to Velma Jean's aid and coaxes her to safety, proving that she is in fact pretty brave herself.

I really enjoy this storybook, appreciating the tall tales told about Velma Jane, making her larger than life then in turn making her all the more human and relatable when her secret is revealed.

Everyone has secrets or foibles that can sabotage them in some ways and I appreciate this this story for developing a complex character who has a secret as well as the tender way that even in the face of danger, sister Ruby Jane demonstrated a strong sisterly bond.

My son is now very much into super-heroes and firemen. I would never begrudge him these interests, but I admire this story for sharing with him a story of an ordinary girl being brave in her own way, as this can also be the start of open-ended conversations about being there for others when help is needed.

The illustrations found within are wonderfully hand-painted and include a vintage style adults will enjoy. The text is written in a country vernacular that children may find cumbersome, especially if reading this book to themselves, but the story makes this children’s book application worth reading.

Nice, simple ambient sound effects are included and I always appreciate an app that is universal, but I did find that within the iPhone version, the text size may be difficult to read because of its scaled down size. I would love to be able to enlarge the words in some way in the future. Narration is included as well, making the small font size less of an issue.

This application contains no interactions - something I sometimes gravitate towards when looking to create a relaxed and calming experience for my son. My son really enjoys this story but I think slightly older children of grade school age and their adults will get a lot out of this story as well, with a nice re-readability factor as once children understand Velma Jean’s secret, the story can be enjoyed from a different point of view - a nice touch that makes this tale worth being purchased by parents as well as teachers.