Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Maria Finds Courage
Tony Dungy · 2018
82/100
👍 Worth It
Tony and Lauren Dungy bring their family-values credibility to a picture book that delivers exactly what it promises — a simple, warm story about trying something new even when it's scary, framed through the very relatable world of a child joining a sports team for the first time. Reviewers report it working in real life, which is the best endorsement a children's book can have. The Christian publisher and Dungy name make this a particularly safe and appealing pick for faith families.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety98
Substance / usefulness78
Craft & writing80
Originality70
Evidence & accuracy85
Hype vs delivers82
Age-fit92
👁 Human-eye gut-check84
Penny’s verdict82
Cross-pollinate