Child Esteem

This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for intelligence?

From filmmaker, actor, and author Justin Baldoni comes a real-talk, self-esteem-building guidebook that helps boys ages 11 and up embrace their feelings and fears instead of repress them. Filled with activities, sidebars, and inspirational quotes, this book is the perfect social-emotional learning tool for parents and educators to jump-start conversations about masculinity with the boys in their lives.

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there. Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother spiraling toward suicide. For her, “perfect” means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body - no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back....

Tall. Short. Big. Small. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. They change as you get older. Making healthy choices, exercising, and getting enough sleep will help you be the best version of yourself. You only have one body, and it’s important to love the one you have.

Kelly roams the outskirts of the forest with her friends while they attempt to collect various bugs for a science assignment. Soon, a particularly rare butterfly catches her eye and she wanders into the woods in hot pursuit until it suddenly disappears. When Kelly turns back, she realizes she is completely turned around with no idea how to get back to her friends.

Wildcats center PJ Harris is the tallest player on the team. Everyone expects him to be a natural on the court. He's an all-star, except for one thing. He's horrible at free throws. When a game comes down to PJ's free throws making the difference between win or lose, he freaks! Can he solve his problem in time to earn back the respect of his coach and teammates and himself?

Allie loves everything about volleyball - except hitting. She doesn't think she's good at it, and every time she messes up, her belief in her own abilities dwindles. Finally, she asks for help. Her idol, Nikki, agrees to coach her once a week. If Allie can learn to spike as well as she blocks, she could become one of the team's strongest players.

Jake is the best bull rider in his division. He's never been thrown from a bull and doesn't see that changing anytime soon. But when he takes a bad spill during competition, he hurts more than just his arm. His confidence takes a hit, as well. Jake has to learn to cowboy up and overcome his fear before he can ride again.

Do today's children lack the flexibility and mental strength they need to cope with life's challenges in an increasingly complicated and scary world? With safe spaces and trigger warnings designed to "protect" kids, many adults worry that children don't have the resilience to reach their greatest potential. Amy Morin, the author who identified the characteristics that mentally strong people share, now gives adults - parents, teachers, and other mentors - the tools they need to become mental strength trainers.

Experience the book that started the Quiet Movement and revolutionized how the world sees introverts - and how introverts see themselves - by offering validation, inclusion, and inspiration. At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts - Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak - that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

Have you ever felt haunted by the past, with emotions and memories you thought were long buried? If so, "The Art of Healing Your Wounded Inner Child" is crafted just for you. This amazing workbook serves as a deeply personal guide for anyone seeking to confront and overcome the lingering effects of childhood trauma.

When Nancy Friday began her research for My Mother/My Self in the early 1970s no work existed that explored the unique interaction between mother and daughter. Today psychotherapists throughout the world acknowledge that if women are to be able to love without possessing, to find work that fulfills them, and to discover their full sexuality, they must first acknowledge their identity as separate from their mother’s. Nancy Friday’s book played a major role in that acceptance.

For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player), Callum, tells Mila it's his birthday, and asks her for a "birthday hug." He's just being friendly, isn't he? And how can she say no? But Callum's hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels...weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn't she know what flirting looks like? But the boys don't leave Mila alone.

A gripping new novel in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish, featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him.

The girl does not respond to questions in any language and remains silent, even when she is threatened, harassed, and mistreated over several days. The only clue to her identity is a tattered shoulder bag containing papers that refer to people named Shauzia, Nooria, Leila, Asif, Hassan - and Parvana. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life. Reunited with her mother and sisters, she has been living in a village where her mother managed to open a school for girls.

In her debut children's book, Rebecca Solnit reimagines a classic fairy tale with a fresh, feminist Cinderella and new plot twists that will inspire young listeners to change the world. In this modern twist on the classic story, Cinderella, who would rather just be Ella, meets her fairy godmother, goes to a ball, and makes friends with a prince. But that is where the familiar story ends. Instead of waiting to be rescued, Cinderella learns that she can save herself and those around her by being true to herself and standing up for what she believes.

Sheila Tubman sometimes wonders who she really is: the outgoing, witty, and capable Sheila the Great, or the secret Sheila, who's afraid of the dark, spiders, swimming, and dogs? When her family spends the summer in Tarrytown, Sheila has to face some of her worst fears. Not only does a dog come with the rented house, but her parents expect Sheila to take swimming lessons!

Girls can rule the world—all they need is confidence. This empowering, entertaining guide from the bestselling authors of The Confidence Code gives girls the essential yet elusive code to becoming bold, brave, and fearless.

Ever since Tyler started getting into art and hanging out with Emmie, his friends and teammates have been giving him a hard time. He wonders why can’t he nerd out on drawing and play ball? Emmie is psyched that she gets to work on a comics project with her crush, Tyler. But she gets the feeling that his friends don’t think she’s cool enough. Maybe it’s time for a total reinvention.

In Palmer LaRue's hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy's life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to, but something to dread. Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in.