I CAN Believe in Myself – a new story to encourage children to think positively

With many children starting 2021 with new experiences, such as being in a new room in an early childhood education and care (ECEC) service, or starting school for the first time, self belief, resilience and confidence are popular themes sought out by parents and educators alike. 

 

A new story, created by popular self help author Jack Canfield, and children’s author Miriam Laundry, is encouraging children to turn their negative thoughts into positive ones, weaving themes of compassion, confidence and self-esteem into a relatable story about a young girl’s struggle to move beyond her comfort zone.

 

The main character in the story is six year old Molly, who has been chosen as ‘Star of the Day’ at school, and is feeling scared to speak in front of the class and share more about her life. 

 

While Molly spends the lead up to her talk convincing herself that she can’t do it, she is ultimately successful, bringing something special to show and tell, and using it to help her fellow students — and even her teacher — overcome negative perceptions so they can have the confidence they need to do things they never thought possible.

 

Jack Canfield is an award-winning speaker and recognised leader in personal development and peak performance strategies. As the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, he is the author and co-author of more than 150 books (including 66 bestsellers) with more than 100 million copies in print in 47 languages around the world. 

 

Co-author Miriam Laundry set a Guinness World Record on May 7, 2014, for the largest online book discussion in a 24-hour period. More than 100,000 children and adults participated in the record attempt, with the purpose of promoting positive mental health. 

 

Ms Laundry’s proceeds from I CAN Believe in Myself will be donated to help build a school in Guatemala through Pencils of Promise.

  

I CAN Believe in Myself is published by HCI Books and is due to be released 23 February, 2021.