I Am Darn Tough by Licia Morelli; illustrated by Maine Diaz. 2020. Published by Tilbury House Publishers.

Brief summary: A young girl begins a race through the forest when she falls and scrapes her knee. She gets up and continues to run even though she is hurting. She gets a stomach cramp later on and begins to cry, but she does not give up. She reassures herself that she can finish the race. She catches up with her friends, and they cheer each other to the finish line. The young runner realizes that she is tough on the inside and out.

Comments: I like the message of this book. Grit. Persistence. Perseverance.

I think this would be an excellent book for the elementary physical education teacher to read to the class before they play a sport.