← The whole library

πŸ‘€ 11 books

Books for children who compare themselves to others

"Hers is better than mine." "Everyone else can already do it." Comparing is natural, and children do a lot of it, especially once they start school. The trouble is they nearly always compare their inside to someone else's outside.

These stories celebrate doing it your own way, growing at your own speed, and the fact that there's room for everyone's version. They're good for the child who's stopped enjoying something because someone else seems better at it.

For the kids 🎨

Maybe by Kobi Yamada

Maybe

Kobi Yamada

A gorgeous, gentle ode to every child's endless potential.

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You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed

You Are Awesome

Matthew Syed

The growth-mindset book for older kids: effort beats talent, every time.

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The Big Race by David Barrow

The Big Race

David Barrow

A heart-warming race story about having fun rather than just trying to win.

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You Choose by Pippa Goodhart

You Choose

Pippa Goodhart

An imaginative, no-wrong-answers book for sparking conversation and decision-making.

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Step-By-Step: Drawing People by Fiona Watt

Step-By-Step: Drawing People

Fiona Watt

Shows kids that drawing well is a skill you build step by step, not a talent you're born with.

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What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick

What If Everybody Did That?

Ellen Javernick

A simple, funny look at why small choices matter when everyone's watching.

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Almost Anything by Sophy Henn

Almost Anything

Sophy Henn

For the child who's too scared to try something new in front of their mates.

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Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

Aaron Slater, Illustrator

Andrea Beaty

For kids who feel behind β€” because practice, not talent, is what gets you there.

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πŸ“–

You've Got This, Little Pangolin

Tola Okogwu

For the child who wants to be brilliant at it NOW, and won't be shown how.

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πŸ“–

The Great Paint

Alex Willmore

One very funny frog who paints for the joy of it, then owns it when he messes up.

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The Wobblysaurus by Rachel Bright

The Wobblysaurus

Rachel Bright

She wibbles, she wobbles, she falls. Grannysaurus: it's a journey, not a race.

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Three things to try alongside the books

  • Compare them with themselves: "Look how much this has changed since September."
  • Point out that everyone's at a different page of their own story.
  • Enjoy other people's work together without ranking it.

More on the thinking behind these in what is growth mindset?

More shelves

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