The OK Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. 40 p., HarperCollins, 2007. In this story, it's OK to be just OK at things. The main character is a stick figure consisting of the letters OK, drawn sideways. The character says, "I like to try a lot of different things. I'm not great at all of them, but I enjoy them just the same." The character is "OK" at many things, from roasting marshmallows to playing baseball, climbing to flying a kite. The character is definitely no better than "OK" at sharing.or flipping pancakes. But that's OK. At the end of the story, the character says, "One day, I'll grow up to be really excellent at something. I don't know what it is yet ... but I sure am having fun figuring it out." Children receive an important message about attending to their internal reactions to activities rather than focusing all their attention on being great at them. This is especially helpful for children who tend to be perfectionistic. Ages 4-7