Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best? (Amazon)

The crayons each present their case in a disgruntled way to Duncan. They present him with an event and he has to press pause before he responds. He could have easily said, “Fine I’ll just use markers!” or break each one in half. Instead he “Thinks of an idea” to make them all happy. He looks at each letter, considers the crayon’s needs/wishes and responds by compromising. He colors in a way that affirms each crayon’s request and the teacher smiles at his creativity!

It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!

In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends. (Amazon)

Jeremy is the enemy--moving in and taking his best friend! He puts Jeremy as #1 on his enemy list!

The boy’s dad helps him press pause to deal with his negative feelings before speaking, when he tells him about a secret recipe for “getting rid of enemies”. He begins to make enemy pie (really just yummy cherry pie) and shares the rule that for it to work: he needs to spend a whole day with his enemy. As you can imagine, he starts to see this enemy in a whole new light and they become fast friends.

"Oh is Sophie ever angry now!"

Everybody gets angry sometimes. For children, anger can be very upsetting. Parents, teachers, and children can talk about it. People do lots of different things when they get angry. In this Caldecott-honor book, kids will see what Sophie does when she gets angry. What do you do? (Amazon)

Sophie gets angry when her sister takes her toy gorilla away. She begins to kick and scream, but then presses pause by running and running and running into the woods, cries, and begins to notice nature and “the wide world comforts her.” She is then able to return to her family where “everything’s back together again and Sophie isn’t angry anymore.”

Be yourself like Molly Lou Melon no matter what a bully may do.

Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy, has buck teeth, and has a voice that sounds like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She doesn't mind. Her grandmother has always told her to walk proud, smile big, and sing loud, and she takes that advice to heart.

(Amazon)

As a bully tries to tease her, Molly uses the advice her grandma had given her and shows the bully, in a positive way, all she can do. She never succumbs to negative thoughts. Instead she uses a productive and purposeful mindset! She gets her mind right!

A life lesson that all parents want their children to learn: It’s OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery. A spill doesn’t ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Don’t be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator.

An award winning, best-selling, one-of-a-kind interactive book, Beautiful Oops! shows young readers how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. (Amazon)

A great example of getting your mind right: What you focus on, how you talk to yourself, productive vs negative mindset!

RJ’s back in the sixth installment of award-winning author Julia Cook’s very successful Best Me I Can Be series, Thanks for the Feedback … (I Think!). This entertaining story follows RJ as he goes about his day doing the things he enjoys, such as blowing bubbles, playing soccer, and hanging out with friends. But when a couple of friends give him compliments, he just isn’t sure how to respond! As RJ continues through the day, he hears from his teacher and parents that while there are many things he’s doing very well, there are also some things he needs to work on. His first reaction is to argue and make excuses. Throughout this must-read story, RJ learns what it means to receive positive and negative feedback, and how to respond appropriately to that feedback. (Amazon)

RJ must learn to get his mind right.

Did you know you can stretch and grow your own brain? Or that making mistakes is one of the best ways your brain learns? Just like how lifting weights helps your muscles get stronger, trying new things without giving up—like finding the courage to put your face in the water the first time you’re at a pool—strengthens your brain. Next time, your brain will remind you that you overcame that fear, and you will be braver when you get your mind right!

A gently humorous story about the power of even the smallest acts and the rewards of compassion and generosity. Teaches young people that if they press pause and get their mind right, they will have a more positive outcome. Even the smallest seeds can bloom into something great.

Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole were running and laughing-their first day of school was today! And they wondered just what was in store.

Would this be a good year?

Would school be a bore?

Everyone remembers feeling excited and nervous each fall on the first day of school. It's no different for Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole. But this year, there's not only a new teacher to meet, but a brand new kid as well. Lazlo S. Gasky doesn't look or speak quite like the other kids, and no one is sure what to make of him. In fact, they respond to his arrival at Brookhaven School by taunting and teasing him. But when Ellie realizes how tough it is for Lazlo, she reaches out, and after school one day they share an afternoon of soccer, strudel, and chess. Besides making a new friend, she and Lazlo teach their classmates an important lesson-one that isn't in their schoolbooks-about accepting people who are different...and in getting to know Lazlo, the kids learn that people aren't that different from each other after all. (Amazon)

Ellie has to step up to the bullies who tease Lazlo. She takes a risk to share how important it is to treat everyone how you would want to be treated regardless of how they look, talk, or act.

Lucy is teased by a boy at school because she is different. She has the courage to be true to herself and to make the right choice when that same boy needs her help. (Amazon)

Lucy continually gets teased and does press pause by not responding in a negative way. She hears about the bully being stuck on the monkey bars and decides to go over and tell him how M-E-A-N he is. Once she arrives she steps up and decides to help him down as he admits he’s scared.

She understands the situation, what is required of her and responds above the line!

Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine. (Amazon)

Justin had to step up and do what was right to include Brian when another student wanted to leave him out of their group work. “Mrs. Carlotti says we can have up to 3 in our group and we are only 2. Come on Emilio, let him work with us.” And later, again, in the lunchroom to include Brian.

Zebra thinks the alphabet should be simple. A is for Apple. B is for Ball. Easy! But his friend Moose is too excited to wait his turn, and when M isn't for Moose (Mouse gets the honor), the rest of the letters better run for cover. Exuberant and zany storytelling brings to life two friends and one laugh-out-loud comedy of errors that's about friendship, sharing, and compromise. (Amazon)

Moose begins to have negative self- talk when he doesn’t get to appear on the M page. Moose continues to want to try to sabotage each page and appear, but zebra stops him as he has a better plan in mind. He steps up and includes moose on the Z page as “Zebra’s friend, Moose.” Zebra could have just as easily been annoyed at Moose and told him to leave the book, made fun of him or been mean, but he does the right thing to find a solution that works for all.