The Hold Steady have announced Stay Positive, a new children’s book themed around the band’s iconic 2008 track “Stay Positive,” set to release on October 1 via Akashic Books. Much like the fan-favorite title track from the alt-rock vanguard’s revered 2008 album, the forthcoming book will explore themes of faithful resilience and holding hope, passing a call for unity within the alternative scene on to the next generation.

Illustrated by award-winning comic artist David “El Dee” Espinosa, Stay Positive follows “a humble armadillo who discovers along the way how music can pull together a disparate cast of characters,” per the presser, much as the lyrics for the namesake track foretell “a time when the true scene leaders forget where they differ and get the big picture.” In this 32-page arc, the book puts forward an example for the youth of today to stand tall in the face of adversity, understanding all the while that positivity will make a better day come.

“‘Stay Positive’ has a line that says, ‘The kids at the shows will have kids of their own,’ and it’s true: each year more Hold Steady fans become parents or grandparents,” shares frontman Craig Finn on the inspiration behind this creative curveball. “So, I’m thrilled that we’re offering the children’s book version of Stay Positive, which brings THS joy to the whole family.”

This summer, The Hold Steady will celebrate 20 years of its debut album Almost Killed Me with the Constructive Summer tour, plotting three-night series in Seattle, Washington, Denver, Atlanta and Toronto, Ontario from May 2 through October 5. Amid this run, the band will stage a trio of shows in Melbourne, Australia and take the stage at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and St. Paul, Minn.’s inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club Festival. For tickets and more information on the band’s tour schedule, visit theholdsteady.net/.

Stay Positive is available to pre-order now. Read on for the complete list of The Hold Steady’s 2024 tour dates.

The Hold Steady are thrilled to announce the release of the THS-themed children’s book Stay Positive.

The kids at the shows do indeed have kids of their own, and we want to help the scene continue to grow into its second generation.

Pre-order here! https://t.co/RJhyAW3EDT pic.twitter.com/yuFyXXh7LQ

— The Hold Steady (@theholdsteady) March 27, 2024

The Hold Steady’s Constructive Summer 2024 Tour Dates:
May 2 – The Great Hall – Toronto, Ontario
May 3 – The Great Hall – Toronto, Ontario
May 4 – The Concert Hall – Toronto, Ontario
May 30 – Madame Lou’s – Seattle
May 31 – The Crocodile (All Ages) – Seattle
June 1 – The Crocodile – Seattle
June 20 – The Atlantis – Washington
June 21 – 9:30 Club – Washington
June 22 – 9:30 Club – Washington
June 28 – The Space (storytellers set) – Evanston +
June 29 – Summerfest – Milwaukee +
July 20 – Minnesota Yacht Club Festival – St. Paul, Minn. +
Aug. 22 – The Bluebird Theater – Denver
Aug. 23 – The Bluebird Theater – Denver
Aug. 24 – The Bluebird Theater – Denver
Oct. 3 – TBA – Atlanta
Oct. 4 – TBA – Atlanta
Oct. 5 – TBA – Atlanta
+ independent of the Constructive Summer tour

The Hold Steady’s Boys and Girls Down Under: 20th (+1) Anniversary Australian Weekender
May 24 – The Croxton Bandroom – Melbourne, Australia
May 25 – The Croxton Bandroom – Melbourne, Australia
May 26 – Stay Gold – Melbourne, Australia