Below is a list of books on the concept of Growth Mindset, again by request and pulled together by Edison teachers. We hope this information proves useful to all parents – please get in touch with any questions!
Growth Mindset Books
Here is a list of my favorite read alouds for Growth Mindset! I love to read a few of the books on this list at the beginning of the year and then space out the others through the year. The books provide a great way to steer conversations toward the Growth Mindset and help keep growth principles from being forgotten.
The first book I like to read to help teach Growth Mindset to my students is Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak. This book explains brain research findings in very kid friendly language without sacrificing the content. I also reread certain sections to spark some discussion as review of the Growth Mindset.
When trying to teach my students that making mistakes is okay, I read Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. This book has wonderfully interactive illustrations. Each page takes an “oops” and turns it into something beautiful.
The Tortoise and the Hare by Janet Stevens is a wonderful adaptation of the classic tale. It’s a great book to teach students that determination and effort pay off in the end!
The Most Magnificent Thing is written by Ashley Spires. A girl sets out to make the most magnificent thing but fails and quits! Her dog convinces her to take a walk and come back to try again. Finally she gets it just right!
Thanks for the Feedback, I Think is written by Julia Cook. It is hard to hear that there are things you need to improve on! This story teaches students how to respond to positive and negative feedback.
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle is written by Chris Raschka. We all can learn from this story of falling and getting right back up on that bike again!
Making a Splash: A Growth Mindset Children’s Book is by Carol E. Reiley. Two siblings have very different outlooks about learning and about themselves.
What To Do With An Idea? is written by Kobi Yamada. This is a charming story about having an idea, letting your idea grow, and bringing it out for all the world to see.
This is my newest addition! It is so new to my list that it didn’t even make the graphic! I can’t wait to read it to my kiddos! Rosie Revere Engineer is by Andrea Beaty. Rosie sets out to build an invention that can fly but it only hovers a moment. What a failure! Or is it? Great book to teach that failure only comes if you quit!
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I’ve always read The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal early in the year to talk about goals and the things we are still learning.
Someday by Eileen Spinelli is another favorite for this conversation. In this story, a little girl sets out her long-term goals and then tells us what she is doing today to help her get there.
Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself is a great collection of quotes and notes by Eileen Spinelli. Many of these will be great conversation starters about agency, identity and learning.
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg is a great little book that celebrates mistakes and reminds us that often, a mistake leads to something wonderful!
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco is a book I’ve always loved but have never really thought about the message it gives kids about learning and growth mindset.
Walk On!: A Guide for Babies of All Ages by Marla Frazee is a book I’ve loved for years and one that I’ve often used when teaching kids how to discover themes in books. But it also has huge invitations for talking about learning and growing.
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka is a new one that I am excited about. It is a simple story of learning to ride a bike. But the messages that everyone can learn and grow is a big one.
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/06/29/14-must-read-anti-bullying-books-for-kids
Related content: Growth Mindset digital resources
