Why am I passionate about this?

My perspective as a parent, grandparent, and teacher has changed since Iā€™ve read Mindset. I only wish I had heard about this book sooner. After I read Mindset, I felt like I had discovered the secret sauce for learning. As a teacher, I was always searching for new ways to motivate my students. I adopted innovative strategies and new trends that were engaging. As a result, I was named Teacher of the Year in my school district. Because Dweckā€™s messages about how the brain learns, the value of mistakes, and perseverance are key to improving a childā€™s achievement, I annually present this topic at both teacher conferences and parent meetings.


I wrote

Book cover of Growing Smarter

What is my book about?

Growing Smarter, winner of a Momā€™s Choice Award Honoring Excellence, is a delightful story about a little owl whooo findsā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Judith V.T. Wilson Why did I love this book?

My perspective totally changed as a parent and teacher after reading, Mindset I thought I knew what a growth mindset was all about, but Dweckā€™s insightful research quickly changed my mind. A growth mindset is more than a ā€œI canā€ mantra, or learning from mistakes, or persevering through challenges.

Dweckā€™s research explains how the brain is like a muscle that grows smarter due to its neuroplasticity. I became more intrigued when Dweck showed to school-aged students various brain scans of different brain regions ā€œlighting upā€ during learning. After I read about Jimmy, I was hooked.

Knowing that our brains make new neural pathways when we are learning is very empowering. That is why we can get smarter, and thatā€™s why I wrote my childrenā€™s book.

By Carol S. Dweck,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Mindset as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the renowned psychologist who introduced the world to ā€œgrowth mindsetā€ comes this updated edition of the million-copy bestsellerā€”featuring transformative insights into redefining success, building lifelong resilience, and supercharging self-improvement.

ā€œThrough clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life.ā€ā€”Bill Gates, GatesNotes

ā€œItā€™s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.ā€

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In thisā€¦


Book cover of Rosie Revere, Engineer

Judith V.T. Wilson Why did I love this book?

I was like Rosie growing up. I loved to build with my brotherā€™s Lincoln Logs, Legos, and blocks. I even tried my hand at building a tree ā€œfortā€ once, quite unsuccessfully.

But unlike Rosie, I was creating for fun with no one around. Rosie, however, was showing her inventions to her uncle and aunt, and they loved them. She had a great imagination. I loved the bookā€™s illustrations of Rosieā€™s gizmos and gadgets created out of treasures found in the recycling bins.

Even though her inventions often failed, her great, great aunt would exclaim it was a brilliant first flopā€¦a perfect failure. But Rosie never quit. As a teacher I often select this book for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) read-aloud, since itā€™s a great example for girls.

By Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Rosie Revere, Engineer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From the powerhouse author/illustrator team of Iggy Peck, Architect comes Rosie Revere, Engineer, another charming, witty picture book about pursuing your passion. Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of becoming a great engineer. When her Great, Great Aunt Rose (Rosie the Riveter) comes for a visit and mentions her one unfinished goal--to fly--Rosie sets to work building a contraption to make her aunt's dream come true. Her invention complete, Rosie attempts a test flight--but after a moment, the machine crashes to the ground. Discouraged, Rosie deemsā€¦


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Book cover of Up the Down Escalator: Medicine, Motherhood, and Multiple Sclerosis

Up the Down Escalator by Lisa Doggett,

2024 Gold Winner, Benjamin Franklin Awards, Health & Fitness Category

2024 International Book Awards, Winner, Autobiography/Memoir Category and Health: Women's Health Category

A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett's startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learnsā€¦

Book cover of The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Judith V.T. Wilson Why did I love this book?

I like this book because it has humor, a lesson learned, and (spoiler alert) a happy ending.

The main character, Beatrice, is very serious about being perfect. In fact, she prides herself on being a perfectionist. She seems perfect in practically every way until one day when she enters a talent show. One can only imagine all the worries or fear that come to mind when about to perform in front of an audience.

Thatā€™s why I enjoyed this book, because many probably have the same worries or fear like Beatrice ā€“ what happens when I mess up? Beatriceā€™s fear unfortunately becomes a reality when sheā€™s faced with that very problem. How Beatrice handles it at the end is both puzzling and exciting. Perhaps we all should be more like Beatrice.

By Mark Pett, Gary Rubinstein,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Every student, teacher, and perfectionist needs to read this book about learning and growing from your mistakes! The perfect introduction to growth mindset, The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is:

A growth mindset book for kids
A teacher must-have for classrooms
An educational book for ages 4-8 (and for everyone learning growth mindset!)

Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, the entire town calls her The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes!

One day, the inevitableā€¦


Book cover of Help Your Dragon Learn From Mistakes

Judith V.T. Wilson Why did I love this book?

What kids donā€™t like stories about a dragon? I know my students did.

This book is one from a series of dragon books by Steve Herman that has rhyming lines and colorful illustrations that remind me of a comic book. I really like it because of its messages to kids about learning from mistakes. As a teacher, I have seen too many children who want to be perfect. I think stories like this can begin to normalize mistakes so that children will learn to accept them as a natural part of learning.

Diggory Doo the Dragon deals with a lot of mistakes that bring him blame, shame, and tears. He wants to quit but then realizes that such situations later prove to be just chances to do better next time.

By Steve Herman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Help Your Dragon Learn From Mistakes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Having a pet dragon is very fun.

You can teach him to sit, roll over, and playā€¦

He can candle a birthday cake, lit a campfire, or so many other cool thingsā€¦

But what if your dragon is always afraid of making mistakes?

What if heā€™s too extreme and want everything to be PERFECT?

What if heā€™s paranoid about every mistake he makes, no matter how big or small? What should you do?

You teach him how to accept mistakes and learn from them!

You teach him that mistakes are just part of life, and itā€™s OK to make mistakes!ā€¦


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Book cover of Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story

Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story by S.G. Boudreaux,

Finding Family, Discovery, Destiny. This is what nineteen-year-old Bain Brinley is searching for.

In his homeland, far in the mountains, he stepped into what he could only describe as a time-portal and landed in a strange land known as Egypt. Then he falls through another portal during a storm, onlyā€¦

Book cover of Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle

Judith V.T. Wilson Why did I love this book?

The first two words of this bookā€™s title ā€œEveryone Canā€ got my attention. And as I flipped through the pages, I was really drawn to its brightly painted illustrations that reminded me so much of modern artwork.

This book is by a two-time Caldecott Medalist and was a Junior Library Guild Selection winner. Its theme is very relatable, for I myself endured the same challenges that many face when learning to ride a bike. The story includes training wheels, holding on, letting go, and of course, falling. (However, I sure donā€™t remember having the benefit of training wheels.)

There are lots of ups and downs in the story with encouraging words that can propel any child through their many attempts. Perhaps you can predict how this story ends.

By Chris Raschka,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

ā€œ[Raschka's] marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment,ā€ raves School Library Journal in a starred review.

Learning to ride a bike is one of the most important milestones of childhood, and no one captures the emotional ups and downs of the experience better than Chris Raschka, who won the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy. In this simple yet emotionally rich "guide," a father takes his daughter through all the steps in the processā€”from choosing the perfect bicycle to that triumphant first successful ride. Using very fewā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of Growing Smarter

What is my book about?

Growing Smarter, winner of a Momā€™s Choice Award Honoring Excellence, is a delightful story about a little owl whooo finds out that quitting is not an option when a mistake happens. In fact, making mistakes is only the beginning because there must be more effort, attempts, persistence, and perseverance before succeeding.

Little owl learns an amazing factā€” that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger and smarter. After trying again and again in somewhat humorous ways, the little owl feels proud about not giving up and even begins to accept challenges without fear of failing.  In doing so, the little owl realizes the power of yet, solves a problem, becomes a critical thinker, and fosters a growth mindset that is beneficial for life.

Book cover of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Book cover of Rosie Revere, Engineer
Book cover of The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

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Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett,

In this spine-tingling, atmospheric ā€œnail-biter of a novelā€ (Shelf Awareness), a woman returns to her hometown after her childhood friend attempts suicide at an alleged haunted houseā€”the same place where a traumatic incident shattered their lives twenty years ago.

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Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson,

Not So Little Things by Kyle Ann Robertson unravels the meticulously crafted life of Tina, an artist engrossed in the intricate world of historically accurate miniatures. As she dutifully honors her deceased father's desire for her to follow in his artistic and historical footsteps, Tina's controlled existence is shaken byā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in mindset, bicycles, and cycling?

Mindset 17 books
Bicycles 48 books
Cycling 23 books