Best children's books - Growth Mindset

Books about trying new challenges

Fly, Tiger, Fly!

Rikin Parekh

Picturebook

Riku's family have all achieved something special - and Riku wants to be special too. His dream? To be the world's first ever flying tiger!Only Riku's friend Jim has doubts . . . Tigers don't have wings. (And Jim should know - he's a parrot!) But Riku is one determined little tiger. With help from Jim and some feathered friends, will Riku make it off the ground and into the air?This hilariously funny book from Rikin Parekh celebrates dreams, determination and the power of friendship. It's a must-read for any little person with BIG ambition!

Yes You Can, Cow!

Rashmi Sirdeshpande

& Rikin Parekh

Picturebook

Yes, you can, Cow! We believe in you! READY . . . STEADY . . . GO . . .It's the Nursery Rhyme's big performance, but Cow is having second thoughts. She's too scared to jump! What if she crashes? Will everyone laugh?The curtain's almost up and the audience are waiting. Can Cow overcome her fear of failure and become the star of the show?A gorgeous, heartwarming story about believing in yourself and doing your best based on the ever-popular nursery rhyme 'Hey Diddle Diddle'.

The Koala Who Could

Rachel Bright

& Jim Field

Picturebook

A funny rhyming story about dealing with change and overcoming worries, from the bestselling creators of The Lion Inside.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!

Almost Anything

Sophy Henn

Picturebook

This is a truly charming picture book with an empowering message about the power of self-belief, perfect for EYFS and KS1. At the beginning of the story, George the rabbit sits on a tree stump watching his woodland friends busy doing all sorts of clever and fun activities like painting, roller-skating, knitting and dancing. Believing that he can’t do anything like that, George leaves himself with no option but to sit and watch. That is, until a wise old bear observes George’s no-can-do attitude and decides to help him to cultivate some important self-belief.

This is an endearing picture book that encourages young readers to have the confidence to try new things using the ‘magic’ of a positive attitude from within themselves.

The Dot

Peter H. Reynolds

Picturebook

The story of a little girl whose art teacher helps her to develop a 'can do' attitude. Vashti is sure that she can't draw, but when the teacher puts Vashti's simple dot picture on display, Vashti begins to think of what else she might be able to draw too if she is only willing to give it a try.

Books about resilience

Jabari Tries

Gaia Cornwall

Picturebook

Jabari is inventing a machine that will fly all the way across the yard! But making it go from CRASH to WHOOSH will take grit, patience, and maybe even a little help from his sister. Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! "It'll be easy. I don't need any help," he declares. But it doesn't work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, fairy wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall's tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

Tilda Tries Again: A Big Bright Feelings Book

Tom Percival

Picturebook

Tilda's world is just as she likes it – until, one day, it turns completely upside down! From the bestselling Big Bright Feelings series by Tom Percival Be open, be honest, be you! Big Bright Feelings for little people.Tilda's world is just as she likes it . . . until one day, it turns completely UPSIDE DOWN. All of a sudden, everything is topsy-turvy, and nothing feels right. Things that were once easy now seem incredibly challenging. Can Tilda discover a new way to approach her problems and believe in herself?Bold, bright and empowering, this is an inspiring story about coping with difficult situations. It's the ideal book for helping children to build resilience and embrace a ‘can do’ approach to life.Tom Percival's Big Bright Feelings series is the perfect springboard for conversations about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence and managing feelings. Every child's bookshelf should contain his books.

After the Fall

Dan Santat

Graphic Novel

We've all heard about Humpty Dumpty's catastrophic fall, but what about how he got back up again? In this humorous picture book, Humpty Dumpty recounts his brave and arduous journey back up to the top of the wall again. We like the way in which this cleverly illustrated story acknowledges that things go wrong sometimes but that it can be our individual response to such misfortunate that often harvests resilience and hatches us into something stronger than ever before.

Bears Don’t Read

Emma Chichester Clark

Picturebook

This is a story that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the feeling that the learning journey seems impossible. When George the Bear finds a book, he picks it up and longs to learn how to read it. But others quickly tell George how silly he is because 'bears don't read'. George will need a great deal of determination, resilience and a little help from a kind friend in order to overcome all the obstacles on the path to success.

Books about learning from mistakes

The Most Magnificent Thing

Ashley Spires

Picturebook

This encouraging picture book tells the story of a girl who works hard to invent a ‘magnificent thing’, tweaking and shaping her work as she tries to create something amazing. But when she fails to make her invention quite as magnificent as she had hoped, the girl becomes increasingly frustrated until she explodes in rage, declaring that she is “no good at this” and deciding to quit. Fortunately the girl’s canine assistant helps her to process her frustration and begin to see how she can turn her disappointment into renewed enthusiasm for improving the invention. This is a popular story that encapsulates a very familiar aspect of the learning experience.

Beautiful Oops!

Barney Salzberg

Picturebook

We love this engaging picture book, filled with interactive pop-ups and flaps. The story is about the tapping into the potential of things that appear to be mistakes, showing how torn paper or spilt paint can be approached with a positive attitude when you know that mistakes can be transformed to become something beautiful. We highly recommend this book for all primary classrooms!

Rosie Revere, Engineer

Andrea Beaty

& David Roberts

Picturebook

We love this story featuring a girl called Rosie who has a passion for inventing and a dream of becoming a famous engineer. Along the way Rosie must learn how to respond to mistakes. When one of her inventions crashes to the ground, Rosie must choose between giving up on her dreams or listening to her Great-Great-Aunt’s wise advice about embracing mistakes positively and using them to learn something new.