My Brilliant, Resilient Mind

Designed as a mix of playful rhymes and useful tools, "My Brilliant, Resilient Mind" walks kids (and their parents) through negative feelings—and some ways to cope with them and hopefully turn them around.

The rhymes vary somewhat in scheme, usually ABCB or AABB. They're a bit slant in places, but I'm guessing that kids won't notice, and the rhyming would be a good way to help some of the strategies (variations on reframing and positive thinking, mostly) stick in one's brain. The art is simple but effective, something like a mix of colored pencil and watercolor. My favorite thing, though, is a simple little choice: the twins are a boy and a girl, and it's the girl who loves soccer and the boy who loves art. It's inconsequential to the story, but it's so nice to see that tiny choice to buck stereotype and subtly reinforce that interests aren't gendered.

Not sure this is one kids are likely to return to over and over again for the story, but it's a useful addition to a bag of tricks for teaching kids about managing emotions.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I loved this! My own children and students I work with would benefit from this book about mindset. It’s written towards younger elementary aged children but the message is great for all ages! Love the tips and explanations in the back too!

My Brilliant, Resilient Mind is a wonderful book for children about the power of the right mindset. I love that the author uses twins, a boy and a girl. These issues are faced by all genders. The author does a really great job of bringing mental health and positivity to the ideal level for kids. The illustrations in this book evoke warm fuzzy feelings. This book should be available in classrooms and libraries for every child! ❤️

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

“My Brilliant, Resilient Mind” follows young twins who have troubles with negative thoughts that bog them down. The book offers sound suggestions for reframing those thoughts so they are more realistic.

This picture book is a great addition to the growing field of entries that focus on the social emotional health of children and young adults. The soft edges in the illustrations help provide the reassurance youngsters need when they are having a difficult time. The story is easy to follow and there are suggestions for adults or other readers to help them offer further support to children in need.

This book is great for kids of all ages who need help reframing their thoughts. It would even be great in a high school psychology class!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by NetGalley and the publisher, PESI Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This beautiful, lyrical book deals with cognitive distortions and building the skills to cope with them. The twins in this story are dealing with big feelings and it is getting them down. By reflecting on it, they were able to work through it and cope.

I love how this book presented ideas like black and white thinking, personalization, and mental filters in a child friendly way that is easy to understand. This book is a must have to introduce children to mental health and skill building.

Great book for kids who suffer with self-esteem issues and negative thoughts. A good guide for parents as well.

I really enjoyed this book! It gives lots of examples and helpful tips for shifting negative self-thinking into positive thoughts. It's okay to have a sad thought, but having happy thoughts too will help the sadness heal. The book also gives snippets of information on the different types of negativity and what good solutions for each type might be. I also thought the pages were really beautiful illustrations, and the poetic writing was perfect

What an amazing resource for a child/parent relationship and development.
I plan to utilize this book with my seven year old.

This book has such beautiful poetic verse and gorgeous illustrations. I appreciate the little highlights at the bottom of the page addressing the problem along with a quick way to rewire and think about the issue or thought.

This explains just how important self worth is in children. Children act in a reflection of who they believe they are.

Everything is sort of recapped in the back of the book as a quick guide on cognitive distortions.

Thank you NetGalley and PESI Publishing...

As a parent of a kiddo with big emotions and feelings, I really loved this book. I like the idea of changing your thinking and this book presents it in a way that is suitable for littles. I am also an educator and I think this would also be a great read to my 5th grade learners in the beginning of the school year for a more positive mindset for the school year. I think the illustrations were beautiful. I also loved the opened discussion questions at the end and the breakdown of different ways of thinking. Overall, I think this is a very helpful story to read to littles and I love how the words rhyme and flow with such a beautiful message. Throughout there are spots to stop and let your little think about what is happening and also a good point to ask if they have ever thought or felt that way. This is a great book for open communication with feelings.

How neat! This book really does a great job of laying out examples of negative self talk and how to reframe your thinking as a child, in a way a child would be understand. My 11 year old would enjoy talking this book out while reading aloud together and processing how to navigate his thinking proactively.
There are some rhyming sections and illustrations to give some good visuals. At the end of the book, there is a section to parents on how they can use this book with their child. Overall, great book to use to help children who struggle with negative self talk and practical hands on examples of what that looks like and how to help the child reframe their thoughts. I believe children would be receptive to this book and topic.

Sweet book showing kids how to identify their emotions and what to do with those feelings. I wish I had this book when I was little!

This book is fantastic! It teaches children to reframe negative thoughts into positive ones in a really accessible way. It is told in a story like manner, with rhyming couplets that are really engaging for children. The illustrations are beautiful, and the characters and situations are really relatable. There are explanations, pointers and advice for adults to help their child further. I would recommend this to all parents, carers, and educators - a superb resource for teaching such an invaluable skill, that children can carry through to adulthood!
Thank you to PESI Publishing, and Netgalley for an eARC of this book to read and review.