15 Growth Mindset Books To Help Your Students Succeed
Learning new things can be hard. Making mistakes can be hard. Getting frustrated can be hard. These statements are even more true if you’re a kid, and are still figuring out how to manage your emotions and deal with failure.
While we can’t rescue our students from messing up and struggling to accomplish their goals, we can give them tools that will help them push through until they succeed. By teaching kids to have a growth mindset, we can remind them that they can always learn new things. Even when there are obstacles, or when they make mistakes, a growth mindset will help them to keep learning and persevering.
These 15 growth mindset books are a great place to start when helping your students develop a growth mindset. Use them in your small group or classroom school counseling lessons, or when working with students who give up easily.
This post contains affiliate links. Please review my full disclosure policy for additional information.
Growth Mindset Books About Overcoming Obstacles
How To Catch A Star by Oliver Jeffers
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
In this book, a boy has a goal to catch a star. He’s not sure exactly how to go about it, but he has several different ideas. He tries to lasso the star, make a spaceship, and more, but none of them work. He keeps trying and trying until finally, he’s ready to give up. Just then, he ends up finding what he’s looking for!
I Can Do Hard Things by Gabi Garcia
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Things are hard sometimes. If we listen to our inner voices, and think about what is true, we can do hard things. This is a great book to remind students about the power of positive self-talk, and having a growth mindset when we face challenges and obstacles.
Tilda Tries Again by Tom Percival
Recommended Grades: 1 to 3
One day, Tilda’s world turned topsy-turvy. She was discouraged, and felt like doing nothing. Just then, she saw a ladybird who was also topsy-turvy. Instead of giving up, the ladybird kept trying, and eventually was able to turn itself right-side up again. The ladybird’s perseverance gave Tilda the inspiration to work through some of the things in her own topsy-turvy world.
A Thousand No’s by DJ Corchin
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
The girl in this story gets an idea, but then her first “no” comes. They keep coming until she has so many “no”s in her idea that she needs to get some help from others. She’s frustrated about the “no”s, but then begins to feel excited about what her idea will become with all the “no”s… turns out, it’s something amazing.
Imani’s Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood
Recommended Grades: 2-5
Imani wants to accomplish great things like Olapa, the goddess of the moon. When she makes the goal to the touch the moon, no one believes she can do it. After days of teasing and failure, Imani perseveres and meets Olapa on the moon.
Growth Mindset Books About Learning New Things
The Power Of Yet by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
The pig in this story gets frustrated when he can’t do things yet. Finally, he learns the way to yet - asking for help, making mistakes, waiting and never giving up! This is a great book for young learners who get frustrated when they can’t do things yet.
The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Lou and her friends were having a day of adventures. It was all fun until all of Lou’s friends climbed a tree. Lou could do a lot of things, but she couldn’t climb a tree. After making excuses and trying to avoid climbing the tree, she tries. She ends up failing, but doesn’t let that discourage her!
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Vashti was getting frustrated because she couldn’t draw. With encouragement from her teacher, she starts small and learns that she can make great art after all! This is a great book for helping kids realize that with a little effort, they are capable of great things!
Trying by Kobi Yamada
Recommended Grades: 3 to 5
The boy in this story is in awe when he see some amazing sculptures. The sculptor encourages the boy to create his own sculpture, but the boy isn’t so sure. Finally, he decides to begin his work, but when he’s met with challenges and mistakes, he feels like giving up. Once again, the sculptor encourages the boy to have a growth mindset and reminds the boy and the reader to just keep trying.
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak
Recommended Grades: 3-6
This colorful book explains the brain in terms that readers will understand! Readers will learn what the brain does, and how it helps us learn new things. This is a great book for explaining the science behind a growth mindset!
Growth Mindset Books About Learning From Mistakes
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
This fun and illustrative book helps students realize that what can seem like an “oops” can turn into something great! Kids will love figuring out what each “oops” can be made in to!
A Whale Of A Mistake by Ioana Hobai
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Mistakes can feel big, scary and overwhelming. This book encourages readers to embrace mistakes and to embrace the places that their mistakes take them. This is a perfect book to remind kids that mistakes don’t have to be so scary after all.
Even Superheroes Make Mistakes by Shelly Becker
Recommended Grades: K to 3
When superheroes make mistakes, they have a choice to make. They can hide, try to cover up their mistake, or blame it on someone else. OR they can learn from their mistakes and try to do better next time. Kids will love the fun, superhero theme as they learn how to respond to mistakes.
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Recommended Grades: K to 5
Everyone called Beatrice “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes.” Everything she did was perfect until she made her first mistake – and it was a big one! She learns that mistakes are okay, and sometimes even make things more fun!
Abdul’s Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Recommended Grades: 1 to 3
Abdul loves to tell stories, but is struggling to write them down. He makes mistake after mistake and wants to give up. Eventually, he learns that mistakes aren't so bad after all and that even the best writers make mistakes.
These growth mindset books for kids are a simple way to make your social emotional learning and school counseling read alouds more impactful. They are sure to help you give your students the tools they need to push through challenges and mistakes so that they can achieve their goals. Looking for growth mindset activities to use alongside the books? Check these out!
