What I Tell Myself FIRST: Children's Real-World Affirmations of Self Esteem by Michael A Brown is a young reader book that emphasizes what goes on inside a child as he or she develops. It is a strategic tool to help buffer against life itself, which throws its barbs at us in so many ways. Whether from family members, schoolmates, or adults, negative input affects how a person sees himself or herself. The book provides good directions on manners, simple reminders of how to treat others and support them even on bad days.

I think this is a great book. It doesn’t whitewash life with promises of 'dream your dream and it will happen.' It works rather to help the young reader accept who they are, and work harder on the things they need help with. It’s practical and written on a level that children can understand and appreciate. The artwork is clever and colorful, generating ideas for kids so they can better understand the material presented. The pictures are inclusive and universal so kids from all sorts of backgrounds can relate to them. I would recommend this book to parents who find their kids struggling with who they are and who they are not. I would also recommend this book to school counselors to help children build positive habits of self-reflection. A book like this is a good one to visit again and again as the habits are built into a young life. What I Tell Myself FIRST: Children's Real-World Affirmations of Self Esteem by Michael A Brown is highly recommended.

What I Tell Myself FIRST: Children’s Real-World Affirmations of Self Esteem is a children’s book written by Michael A. Brown that gives children positive messages to build self-esteem and start the day in a positive way. Brown covers various areas for kids by walking through many concepts essential for healthy growth and development, including “I am beautiful/handsome” and “I am good at some things and not good at some things.” What I Tell Myself FIRST is written in a personalized manner; it even provides spaces for the young readers to write their names or other specifics to make it that much more of a personal experience to read.

I was truly blown away by the idea of What I Tell Myself FIRST, a book that addresses the needs of children based on Mazlow’s Hierarchy. Author Michael A. Brown has clearly put a lot of research and passion into this book. As a father and educator, Brown’s mission of helping children be the best they can be is evident in his work. The illustrations, done by Zoe Ranucci, perfectly complement the book in a way that is fun, engaging, and brings the concepts to life. Brown elegantly transitions from one concept to another, and the entire book is relevant and age-appropriate. If you want to help your children grow and develop healthy self-esteem, have your kids read What I Tell Myself FIRST every day. Nice work, Mr. Brown.

Who am I? Am I worth anything to anyone? Am I worth anything to myself? These are important issues to consider. But, before we can be worth something to others, we must feel good about ourselves, we must appreciate and respect who and what we are. We can’t all be thin and beautiful, smart and popular. But we can all be respectful of ourselves, each other and the world around us. All it takes is a little concentration and a little self-admiration. Not to be selfish, but, if I can’t appreciate myself, how can I expect others to appreciate me? Therefore, “I must be selfish before I am selfless.”

Michael A. Brown’s children’s self-help book, What I Tell Myself FIRST: Children’s Real-World Affirmations of Self Esteem, is a valuable interactive guide to self-awareness and feeling good about yourself. Directed towards children, with colorful illustrations and simple language, the book challenges the young reader with key issues like appearance, self-esteem, popularity, marks, and achievements, and so much more. In a world that demands the best of everyone, it’s difficult for young people to believe in themselves as they are and accept who and what they are. The author places the reader in the book, asking the reader to name him/herself at the beginning and the end. With illustrations of all kinds of children, all sizes and colors, every child should be able to relate to the children in the illustrations and, certainly, the issues presented. A great way to encourage young readers to believe in themselves: “I am alive, alert, and able.”

What I Tell Myself First: Children’s Real-World Affirmations of Self Esteem by Michael A. Brown is a self-help book for children based on the principles of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. For those who don’t know, the hierarchy of needs is a tiered pyramid with the largest and most fundamental human needs at the bottom such as water, food, warmth and rest. Its goal is for people to move up the chart until they reach the top step of self-actualization, though this book seems to focus mostly on the second-highest tier: Esteem. The book begins with a title page followed by a well-designed copyright/ dedication page and ends with an author bio and playful version of the hierarchy of needs.

Michael A. Brown’s book What I Tell Myself First is a vibrant and unique book in a class all to itself. It’s wonderful how Brown has designed this book for customization by the reader. Many of the pages have underlined spaces that are preceded by things such as I am, the truth is and a lie is so the reader can fill them in with their own beliefs. Furthermore, the author goes to great lengths in this book to keep the text personal for the reader by having dual messages targeted towards boys or girls. I loved the warm and detailed illustrations through the entire book which really helped tie it all together. Though the book didn’t have a regular rhyme scheme, the most enjoyable parts for me were when it would drift a little closer to children’s poetry. I found the kid-friendly version of Maslow’s hierarchy charming with a fun drawing of Abraham Maslow and a small biography about him for further learning. Ultimately this is a well thought out and deep book that is sure to be valuable for any child or adult that’s willing to give it a go.

I See Myself In This Book! I Would Love To Purchase Additional Copies. I'm A Mother Of Four Grandmother Of 15 Great-Grandmother Of 5 This Book Was Very Inspiring! Loved It!

Excellent book for kids and also adults. Will introduce this book to my Kids and Grandchildren. Thank you Michael A Brown!