10 best kids’ motivational books that educate and inspire

Matthew Syed’s first book for children, You Are Awesome, was a massive hit, encouraging children to have confidence in their abilities and achieve their potential. This is the sequel and we reckon it’s just as good, if not better. The basic premise is that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. With lively text, stylish illustrations and real-life examples from the likes of Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Emma Watson and Oprah Winfrey, it sets out to encourage young readers to build their confidence and resilience and follow their own path in life. As Syed writes: “Make it happen. Don’t wait. Get out there. It is down to YOU.” We can’t argue with that.

Journalist Bryony Gordon has inspired millions of readers with her refreshing honesty and frankness about her struggles with mental health. You Got This is her first book for teenage girls and includes some of the life lessons she wishes she’d been taught when she was younger.

Empathetic and confidence-boosting, she tackles everything from social media and friendship to body image and periods and tells teens: “The most powerful thing you can be when you grow up is yourself.”

Being a teenage girl can be tough these days, especially with the pressures of social media. But this accessible handbook by US psychologist Charlotte Markey aims to help girls understand, accept and appreciate their changing bodies. She covers everything that girls need to know, such as puberty, periods, coping with social media, staying positive about your body and the importance of taking care of their mental and physical health.

With first-hand accounts from teenage girls and a glossary of useful terms, this is a sensible, reassuring guide to growing up and developing a healthy body image.

The School of Life is a global organisation that helps people to lead more fulfilled lives. An Emotional Menagerie is one of its latest books and aims to give young children the words to communicate how they are feeling. It features 26 rhyming poems, arranged alphabetically and bringing a host of emotions to life.

The first, A is for anger, says that if anger was an animal it would have “A mangy mane, a bristly tail, and growling, gaping jaws”, while N is for naughtiness declares that if naughtiness was an animal “It would gibber and shout, making faces, throwing food, and monkeying about”. At a time of huge uncertainty, this is an engaging way to get young children to talk about their emotions.