Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day    by Claudia Mills & R. W. Alley Order:  USA  Can Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2005 (2005) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch The children in Ziggy's second-grade class look forward to track-and-field day - all except Ziggy, that is. He recognizes that he is not athletic, but he does love to draw. So, when the kids go outside for the games, Ziggy brings his markers along. Ziggy often receives the dreaded gray ribbon for coming in last in all of the track-and-field events, and today is no exception. But on this particular day, while watching his classmates perform their events, Ziggy decorates the envelopes holding the ribbons that the other children have won. Suddenly they're all lining up to have Ziggy decorate their envelopes, trading their ribbons for his services. Ziggy receives a much needed confidence boost, and the other children appreciate his special artistic talents, despite his lack of athletic ability. Ziggy's Blue-Ribbon Day is a charming book about recognizing your strengths and accepting your limitations. Children also learn from it a nice lesson about encouraging each other. R. W. Alley's illustrations are a nice accompaniment to Claudia Mills' story, accurately capturing facial expressions and moods. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews