The third book in my Dojo Kun Character Book series is The Follow Through Karate Kids. In this perseverance picture book, the main character children have a big goal that they want to accomplish. But the Quitting monster keeps putting obstacles in their way, making them want to give up. Here are some of the major details about the story.
GENRE: Realistic fiction also showing imagined abstract concepts (fighting the negative-character-trait Quitting monster. Also, the Dishonesty spider makes a tiny little cameo appearance as the kids figure out how to deal with a mistake).
SETTING: Modern day America, mostly in a dojo influenced by the values of traditional Okinwawan karate. Some scenes take place in the main character’s homes.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Two American karate kids: Makoto, a boy with a Japanese name. His name means truth. Also: Michi, a girl with a Japanese name. Her name means righteous path.
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: Makoto’s mom and dad, who act as their supporters; Michi’s enthusiastic dad (he’s also a karate student, but we don’t see that in this book); Renshi: the head karate teacher. Renshi is an adult 40-something, (bald) female. She supports the main characters, but doesn’t give them any special treatment.
Quitting (antagonist): a wood louse (rollie pollie) monster that is lavender, grey and orange, and changes sizes.
NARRATIVE CONFLICT: Man against self (and as well, less prominently, man against man).
CONFLICT IN DETAIL: More specifically, the conflict is about children fighting against the recurrent desire to give up when they encounter obstacles to their goal. We see them wrestling with the Quitting monster.
PROBLEM: Makoto and Michi have a big dream about painting a mural, and they make it into a goal. However, they encounter obstacles found in real life, including inexperience, red tape, a naysayer, and the enormity and time commitment required for their project. They often receive support from one another, but what happens when they both want to quit at the same time?
Do you want to help the children in your life learn to recognize that life has obstacles, and that they too can fight the Quitting monster? You’re never too young to improve pursuit of personal goals. You can purchase this book, geared toward kids aged 5 to 11, by ordering in any bookstore. It’s available at Barnes & Noble, here. Order this perseverance picture book today to help children pursue higher achievement in life!
-Jenifer Tull-Gauger
