Editorial Review
It's hard to be five.
Just yelled at my brother.
My mind says do one thing.
My mouth says another.
It's fun to be five!
Big changes are here!
My body's my car,
and I'm licensed to steer.
Learning not to hit? Having to wait your turn? Sitting still? It's definitely hard to be five. But Jamie Lee Curtis's encouraging text and Laura Cornell's playful illustrations make the struggles of self-control a little bit easier and a lot more fun!
This is the sixth inspired book from the #1 New York Times best-selling team of Today I Feel Silly: & Other Moods That Make My Day and I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self Esteem.
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Customer Reviews
My 5-year old is just like the kid in this book.... 
2007-05-31
My son is 5 and he loves this book. It captures the essence of a 5-year old perfectly. He loves to study the pictures and he tapes things on the wall with 20 pieces of tape just like the kid in the book does! We've been reading it every night before bedtime.
It's Hard to Be Five, It's Great to have this book 2007-03-09
My five year old quickly made this one of her favorite books. We read it together almost every night. Jamie Lee Curtis once again has delighted my family with humor, wit and a glimpse a child's world.
mother of a 5 yr old 2007-01-12
My son turned 5 in September and I bought this for him for Christmas. It's now the middle of January and we have read that book every night since Christmas day. He loves it. It starts out talking about the difficulties, but ends with the positives of being five. Good book.
My son loves this book! 2007-01-10
He loved this book and wanted to read it all the time. Even when he turned six, he still wanted to hear the story!
It IS Hard to Be Five, but It's Not Hard to Read This Book! 2007-01-04
I think what's best about It's Hard to Be Five is that it gets right to the heart of what it is like to be five in a way that isn't condescending or patronizing...it's written in language that is engaging and that kids can relate to easily. The pictures are colorful and zany...very high energy, in all of her books, I think the art really goes a long way toward bringing the message to life for the readers (or listeners, as the case may be as they make excellent read aloud material). At an age where they want to be more "grown up" and independent, yet they still have trouble choosing big-boy (or girl) behavior over the instinctual "little kid" gut reactions, this book is a welcome way to let kids know that what they are feeling is normal while encouraging them to be the big-girl (or boy) that they are!
Overall, I give it five stars, The art work and text work seamlessly creating a book that is fun to read and a feast for the eyes. My kids just love poring over the pictures after we read these...there's so much to absorb that provides an additional layer of fun and enjoyment above and beyond the story!! I'd recommend It's Had To Be Five, it is a simply a fun way to explore the feelings many children experience as they become big boys and girls and are expected to act that way but they still FEEL like reacting in highly emotional and instinctual ways.
BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW! 2008-06-13
As a four and five year old preschool teacher, I was amazed at this book's exact representation of what a five-year-old is feeling! It pegged them perfectly! The important thing is that this book helps the child see that ALL five year olds feel similar to how they are feeling, and experience the same struggles. Yet, it teaches this in such a FUN way! The pictures are great...I would especially suggest this book for one-on-one reading, because of the detail on the pages, but it worked very well for my circle time as well. If you care about your child's emotional and social development (which I know you do), BUY THIS BOOK!
We love J.L. Curtis books 2008-04-06
We have most of Jamie L. Curtis books. The illustrations are wonderful and the stories are great. I had my daughters full attention when I read her this book. The kid perspective that Jamie takes is great. Kids can definately identify and reminds parents that it's not all that easy to be a kid.
Great self-esteem book for kids! 2008-02-10
Another wonderful contribution from Curtis. We read this book to our daughter until she could read it to herself changing the age to fit her age, from three until five when she read it herself. This book "normalizes" the behavior of children. It helps them and parents to understand our children have difficulty controlling their impulses but are nonetheless wonderful and loveable. I read this book to my daughter's class in Kindergarten and it was a huge hit as well.
Another goodie from Jamie Lee 2008-01-10
Jamie Lee's books keep getting better and better. My sister bought this book for my daughter when she was 5 and it was an always read. Jamie Lee's writing style is wonderful and right on the mark for the age-appropriate kids. The kids can definitely relate to these stories. The illustration is great too. Very colorful and eye catching. Lots going on with the illustration so there is lots to talk about besides the actual story. Jamie Lee, keep writing and I will keep buying and passing on the good words to friends and family!
Parents Beware 
2007-10-17
I did not even get so far as READING this book. As a parent trying to see through my kids eyes I did the first thing a kid at this age reading level would do. I looked at the pictures first. We have a boy playing in the dirt NAKED burying his little brother up to his chin, a little boy lying on his back NAKED with his private part covered by an exclamation point from the text, and a little girl holding the front of her dress up for the 5 year old reader to view her girly little underpants. How is this book appropriate?? This was a book my kindergarten child checked out from his school library. I sent it back post hast. If I ever see this book come home again it will not be returning to the library. It will go straight in the trash.
