I Believe in Myself! by L. Wright
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/dr29430Abstract
Wright, Laurie. I Believe in Myself! Illustrated by Ana Santos, Laurie Wright, 2018.
Laurie Wright is a childhood mental health specialist and this book is one of seven books within her Mindful Mantras collection. All the books are centered around BIG feelings and examples for creating positive self talk. These books are clearly designed to help both parents and teachers open the discussions regarding mental health with young children. The vocabulary and scenarios in this book are suitable for younger readers and listeners, and the book is quite accurately rated for ages 4 – 8. The theme is very well developed, in that after every scenario, there is a positive solution, and repeated phrase, “I believe in myself!”
This book invites the readers and listeners to think about times they have been in similar scenarios and how they reacted when faced with them. A vast array of emotions are covered, from anxiety, to shyness, to nervousness, to panic, to frustration, and many more. This provides the children with a diversity of feelings to relate to. The illustrations in the book are a strong and accurate representation of what specific feelings could look like, which can help younger students learn social skills and the virtue of empathy. The book's format, font size, and images are big enough to be used for a group/class discussion, as well as one on one. The book also comes with free additional resources at the author’s website in regard to mental health, and how to talk to children about it. Overall, the book is a quick read aloud that is perfect for opening the door to start the conversations about BIG feelings, mental health, positive self talk and empathy.
Highly Recommend: 4 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Jessica Oscar
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