POSITIVE THINKING
I CAN DO IT BY MYSELF (Caryl Hart, Zoe Waring)
I Can Do It By Myself (Scholastic, 2025) is a hilarious celebration of children learning how to do things independently and how giving it a go is as important as getting it right the first time.
The story showcases how parents can feel when nurturing children’s new found independence, presenting a wonderful contradiction grownups will relate to. There are a range of settings too, such as school and at home.
The positive mindsets and ‘can do’ attitudes of the central characters will be inspirational to all young children learning new skills… all by themselves.
(Reviewed by Kara Kiernan, founder of The Book Train)
BASIL DREAMS BIG (Lu Fraser, Sarah Warburton)
Basil Dreams Big (Simon and Schuster, 2025) is an engaging, rhyming text with loveable characters that highlights the importance of perseverance and how having the right support can help you achieve what seems impossible.
We follow Basil the bat and his dream of learning flying. Lacking a positive mindset, Basil needs the support of his friend, Moth, for encouragement. It is only when disaster strikes that Basil finds the courage he needs to save the day and achieve his dream. The characters are brought to life with the creative illustrations that nicely emphasise the emotions of the characters well.
The book's themes include the importance of having a positive mindset and believing in yourself. The power of friendship when achieving goals is also a central theme.
(Reviewed by Kara Kiernan, founder of The Book Train)
SUNNY SIDE UP (Clare Helen Welsh, Ana Sanfelippo)
Sunny Side Up (Little Tiger, 2024) is a book which will empower children to choose how they see the world.
This is a CBT inspired book which has positivity and resilience at the centre of its message. We all have bad days and some days are harder than others; this uplifting book aims to develop children’s understanding that difficult moments will pass. This book gives hope to children and adults alike, reminding us that joy can be found even on the hardest days if we look in the right places and try to see things through our sunny-side specs. Through words and images, the message of the impact of a positive mindset is shared in a gentle tone.
This is such an accessible book with joyful artwork, peep through pages as well as cut out and fold out sections. Peep-through and cut out pages in paper-back picture books always bring such joy. This book gives hope in several examples of challenging experiences, drawing upon feeling frightened, facing the unknown and saying goodbye. Definitely a book for my mindfulness and emotional literacy collection.
(Reviewed by Gemma @themindfulbookshelf)
YOU GOT THIS (Rachael Davis, Leire Martin)
Meet the Cheer Squad!
A single cheer is all it takes,
to start a chain that never breaks.
With each cheer louder than before,
our confidence grows more and more.
Win or lose, hit or miss,
Just remember . . . YOU GOT THIS!
Celebrate the power of positive thinking and resilience. Meet the Cheer Squad! Super cute, adorable characters to help readers develop self-belief and perseverance. This powerful, empowering, important read is written in smooth rhyme and features a cast of bright cheerful Cheer Squad members. The text and pictures combine to sing a mantra that all children (and adults) should remember - the best thing we can do in life is to try out best and love ourselves.
You Got This (Little Tiger, 2024) goes beyond a book about self-belief, and also advocates the importance of being there to support others, encouraging the empathy. You’ve GOT to read it!
YES YOU CAN, COW (Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Rikin Parekh)
Yes, you can, Cow! We believe in you!
READY . . . STEADY . . . GO . . .
Yes You Can Cow (Faber, 2022) takes us behind-the-scenes at Nursery Rhyme's big performance, where Cow is having second thoughts. She's too scared to jump over the moon! What if she crashes? Will everyone laugh?
Rikin’s humorous illustrations match Rashmi’s comedic text perfectly, as Cow’s friends help her learn that somethings take practice to perfect. When the curtain goes up, the audience are waiting… and Cow overcomes her fear of failure, realising the power of YET just in time to become the star of the show.
WEDNESDAY IS FOR WIGGLING (Eva Wong Nav, Holly Sterling)
Wednesday Is for Wiggling (Walker, 2025) is a beautifully reassuring and rhythmic picture book that gently celebrates childhood and the many places and people that make it special.
Told through the eyes of a child, this story takes readers through her week. Each day brings something special: cosy wiggles with Mama on Wednesdays, library trips with her childminder, crafts with grandparents and scooter adventures with Daddy on Sundays. Every day is different, but there is something joyful in each one.
A quietly powerful book that helps children embrace their week and whatever it has to offer - a positive and subtle portrayal of life with separated parents.
THANK YOU (Jarvis)
I thank the moon for the night time. I thank the sun for the day. I thank my boots for knowing the way…
There is so much to be thankful for! In this happy and hopeful picture book for the very young, we see the world through a child’s eyes as he thanks all of the things that give him joy – the sun, his bicycle, the jelly in his bowl, and so much more.
In Thank You (Walker, 2024), Jarvis’ beautiful collaged artwork inspires young children to think about what they might like to say ‘thank you’ to - a great ‘first book’ of gratitude.
MAYBE (Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch)
“This is a story for everything you will do and everything you could be.
It’s for who you are right now, and it’s for all the magical, unbounded potential you hold inside.”
Maybe (Compendium, 2019) is one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned. The simple yet profound words of Kobi Yamada capture the essence of hope, the fear of uncertainty and the strength of resilience in us all, brimming throughout with positive affirmation that you can do, and be whatever you wish. With absolutely stunning painterly illustrations by Gabriella Barouch, Maybe is a wonderful gift for all ages and perfect for helping young readers to believe in themselves and what they can achieve.
(Reviewed by Karen Swann, author of The Tale of the Whale)
THE KOALA WHO COULD (Rachel Bright, Jim Field)
In a wonderful place, at the breaking of dawn,
where the breezes were soft and the sunshine was warm,
a place where the creatures ran wild and played free...
A Koala called Kevin clung to a tree.
Meet Kevin. A koala who likes to keep things the same. Exactly the same. But sometimes change comes along whether we like it or not... And, as Kevin discovers, if you step outside your comfort zone and try new things, you might just surprise yourself!
Brilliantly illustrated with a positive message, The Koala Who Could (Orchard, 2017) features a lovable main character that children will care about and relate to - a koala unwilling to come down from his tree, who eventually realises that life is better when you say ‘YES!’
TELL ME SOMETHING HAPPY BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (Joyce Dunbar, Debi Gliori)
Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep (Corgi, 1999) is an oldie but a goodie, still relevant for today’s young audience. Willa can’t sleep and asks her brother Willoughby for help. By exploring the world around them, Willoughby’s gentle guidance helps Willa to see the many gifts she has in her life, and how much she has to look forward to when she wakes. The beautiful images by Debi Gliori cement the wonderful sibling relationship of the two bunnies, and the reassuring, calming words by Joyce Dunbar are perfect for lulling little ones to sleep. A story full of love, reassurance and positivity that has stood the test of time and sure to remain on the ‘often requested’ list.
(Reviewed by Karen Swann, author of The Tale of the Whale)
TODAY IS FOR YOU (Sally Lloyd- Jones, Kevin Waldron)
Shout out GOOD MORNING!
Shout out HOORAY!
Shout it together… HOORAY FOR TODAY!
Today Is For You (Walker Book, 2023) is an empowering, smile-inducing, zip-along rhyming picture book full of the potential of a brand new day. This fantastic read aloud takes the reader through a day of games, friends, dreams, laughter, dancing and songs all the way to the quiet of bedtime.
Fun illustrations, fonts and refrains deliver messages of optimism, loving life and living in the moment in this energetic, colourful and wholesome picture book that celebrates the endless possibilities of a new day.