I Will Try (Mindful Mantras)

She is trying not to be shy and make a friend and this book suggestion it is okay/normalizing the behavior of an elementary school boy trying to kiss her on the playground while her furry friends and adults act like that is okay behavior. This subordinate positioning of main character is a bit disturbing.Instead: Can you change that page to children playing tag, or in the sandbox or playing soccer? Something less sexualized please. Thank you

Not a fan of forcing kids to do things they fear, I am a fan of this book, particularly because it lets kids know that anxiety is normal, understand it as not unique to them, and provides a phrase to empower them. Often, even adults, in relation to their own apprehension, believe anxiety must be avoided, or really tamped down before a fear-inducing event can take place. Mastery comes from the doing, over and over, in the presence of fear— kind of like hanging out with an annoying friend. Even panic can be managed over time by not revving oneself up with a string of “Oh my God”s with each uncomfortable sensation, by entering the uncomfortable space, and finding oneself still vertical at the end. This book goes far in encouraging kids to begin to take that healthy risk early, often preventing fear from becoming so entrenched. I applaud the use of some big words in the storyline to help kids put a name to what they’re experiencing, and learning the meaning of grown-up words is a great source of pride. At the same time, care is needed to keep it pretty simple to prevent kids from over-labeling or clinicalizing their feelings. So I do have concern about teaching kids to use so many clinically-oriented, potentially amplifying words. A bit of an aside about language and kids: I’m reminded of Haim Ginnot, a very gifted child psychologist and author of terrific books for parents, who loved to use big words to help engage a child’s attention and curiosity. He never raised his voice, but might tell a child he was very “disgruntled” with some behavior. And what could sound more serious than that? Back to the book, one heads-up regarding content: In the one instance of speaking to someone the child doesn’t know, a renewed opportunity presents to reinforce the distinction between a stranger and a new kid at school. The book is an asset to helping kids better understand and feel good about themselves. As we say wonderfully ungrammatically in New Orleans, “You done good,” Laurie Wright. And the same for you, Ana Santos, for your witty and fitting illustrations.

This book is great for kids that are hesitant to try new things. It’s a Simple book with a good message.

Got this book to help encourage kids to come out of their shell a bit. I love the idea of this book, and most of it is great! One page said something like "I don't want to talk to people I don't know... But I like to have new friends and I know people don't bite. I will try!" but the illustration showed the girl and another boy who looked like he is tying to kiss her. I have to go over that part and explain that you do not have to talk to anyone who makes you uncomfortable and you definitely don't have to kiss anyone. I know its a mistake of the publisher to let that slide and to print anyway. But I wanted to let parents know about this in case its a deal breaker. If I was able to see all other the pages before buying, I probably would have kept looking

Its a like, but not a love. The book is great for teaching children who may feel apprehensive about various daily life activities. Spelling/Typo error at the end.

Our 4 1/2 year old daughter seems to really like this book. I, on the other hand, don't really like it. Three different parts really bug me. I don't claim to have the best grammar but it still irks me to see a book that wasn't written very well and didn't seem to be proofread by an editor. On one page, the girl feels awkward meeting someone new but the picture they show with it shows a boy trying to kiss her -- huh?! On another page it says "I don't know HOW the salon will be like" (when talking about a hair salon)... how about "WHAT" the salon will be like.... that should've been an easy catch. And on the last page there are two words typed out together with no space -- "mefeel" instead of "me feel". C'mon guys, proofread and edit your books. I remember reading that there were similar issues in one of this author's other books. I don't think we'll be buying anymore books by this woman but we'll keep this because my daughter begged me not to return it.

Awesome little book for talking about your feelings. My 7 year old step daughter has anxiety and perfectionist issues. We got this for her and she loves it. Some of the feeling words are a little big, but we were able to discuss the meanings and give examples. It’s good for any child that doesn’t want to try new things for one reason or another

My son with has a hard time with many new circumstances. (Food, places, people, and so on) He often acts out when he is feeling anxious. I have heard him say more and more “ok I will try”. We have seen such positive feedback that I ordered 2 more books from the series.

A simple but great story about trying new things: give it a go! A positive message written in a lovely child-friendly way.Lovely illustrations.

As a retired preschool teacher I would have loved this book for the children who came through our centre. As a Nana, it is perfect for teaching these skills to our grandchildren and children. Had a good laugh with our grandson about the craziest suggestions and then he picked of the three choices which might work best. Sometimes it was all and we discussed those too. We laughed, we discussed, and in the end it gave him some things to think about. We both enjoyed the book, so it was a success and would definitely recommend it as a good purchase.

This book is great for ALL kids - especially kiddos who get "stuck" when faced with new challenges. I work with children who come from a complex trauma background and I feel that this book has great illustrations, is step by step, has a lot of repetition and it teaches the lifeskill of self-talk! I love the mantra "I will try". Self-talk goes a long way in building self-esteem for children and I think that this book, along with all of the mindful mantra series is a great addition for parents, educators, counsellors and children!

I work as a librarian in a K-12 school and am trying to get some resources to help kids learn about their different emotions and that it is okay to feel the way you do. I was thrilled to find the series of Mindful Mantras by Laurie Wright and am in the process of getting a package of her books and free resources together for our elementary teachers. I love all the books in the series and so do the kids!

A nice book for young readers. I guess I will try and do new things. Good perspective. Illustrations are good