Boss of Your Own Mind

By Byll Stephen  Beth Stephen  Teeny Tiny Stevies

Illustrated by Simon Howe

Reviewed by Margarite Igras

This is a fun and insightful picture book written by  the writers behind the ABC TV Teeny Tiny Stevies, aimed at 3- to 6-year-olds. The pages are filled with Simon Howe’s humorous and appealing portrayal of children, involved in various play activities, being informed about what they do and don’t have control over. Some of the other books in this series include Boss of Your Own Body, Family, all that you dream it to be, Sleep through the Night and How brave can I be.

The authors give the young reader a gentle but empowering lesson about their thoughts, feelings and  relationship with others.  At the core, there are things they cannot be the boss of, such as the weather outside, who’s friends with who, making playdates, how someone else behaves or getting an apology.  But they are in charge when it comes to what they think and feel because they are the Boss of their own mind. They can pause nervous thoughts, decide how they will react to what someone says, change their mind 500 times, or think happy thoughts that make them smile.

The rhyming text, with clever use of repetitive lines You’re not the boss of..,.But you are the boss of one thing… is written in the second person, directly addressing the younger reader. Together with Howe’s lively illustrations, this 24-page book is bound to be one that will read over and over and draw out other things that children are the boss of.

ABC Books 2024