8 Picture Books To Teach Growth Mindset

This gorgeous picture book is an illustrated version of a poem by Margarita Engle about the Drum Dream Girl. The poem is inspired by the childhood of a Chinese-African-Cuban girl Millo Castro Zaldarriaga who broke Cuba’s traditional taboo and became the first female drummers.

At age 10, she performed with her older sisters as a part of an amazing all-girl dance band. She even played her bongó drums at a New York birthday celebration for U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her love, courage and skill has led to a lot more female drummers in Cuba. The illustrations are as bright as her dreams, urging us to go after ours.

Jabari Jumps is the story of a young Black boy learning to dive from a height. The first time he tries, he looks down to the water, and is filled with fear. He climbs down the ladder and heads home. Later, with his father’s encouraging words and renewed hope, he tries again and really enjoys it. The story is inspired by the Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones and the author’s childhood memories of conquering the diving board.

This picture book is warm, inviting, and relatable. Bella, our young protagonist, goes around her house and admires her siblings for what they are good at. She thinks about how she doesn’t try much because she’s a disaster at everything anyway. Her abuela notices this and decides to bake a dulce de leche with her. Little Bella gets it wrong a few times but continues trying till she finally gets it right. Soothing illustrations that explore the self-doubt, confusion, and joy of learning something new are this book’s recipe for success.

In this picture book, the author shares his own story about his struggle with words. As a little boy, he loved drawing, but reading didn’t come naturally to him. He could manage to read one word at a time, but things got harder as the sentences got longer. He started to feel lost and alone in the world of too many words.

So he did what he calls “painting with words.” He drew the words on a paper to make himself a path to follow. He also learnt that a lot of great people were slow readers as well. Hudson honoured the act of taking his time, and became the fabulous storyteller he is today!

There Must Be More Than That shows us exactly what the title suggests. A young girl is told by her brother that humanity is doomed. She reaches out to her grandma in confusion and panic. Her wise grandma tells her that no one can accurately predict what the future holds, and that adults don’t always have the right answers. The rest of the book explores the randomness of the universe in fun and vibrant illustrations. Pick up this book for a good laugh and an important reminder.

Beatrice Bottomwell is a 9-year-old girl who has never made a mistake. She wakes up with paparazzi outside her window. She is constantly admired by everyone at home and at school. She’s the girl who never makes mistakes.

Until one time, at the school talent show, she makes a huge mess on stage during her juggling act. Her audience and her go quiet in absolute shock. But Beatrice bursts into laughter and everyone laughs along with her. Her life goes back to normal and no one is in awe of her anymore. But she is free to live, learn, fail, laugh and start over. As she lets go of her perfectionism, she rediscovers her humour and joy. This wonderful story is captured in illustrations that do it justice.