Book Nook - What Makes You Happy?

 With a career spanning over fifteen years as a licensed therapist, New York Times bestselling author (Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free), Nedra Glover Tawwab has dedicated her life to helping people build healthier relationships.

Now, she brings her expertise to a younger audience, teaching invaluable lessons about boundaries, self-esteem, and the importance of expressing one's own needs.

 

In What Makes You Happy?, we meet Avery, a kind-hearted child who loves making others happy but learns, with the help of her friends, that it's perfectly okay to prioritize her own happiness, especially on her birthday—resulting in her best party yet!

 

What Makes You Happy? serves as a gentle guide for young readers on how to assert their own needs and desires, modeling healthy boundaries in a relatable and age-appropriate way.  It empowers children to find their voice and build confidence through the story of Avery's journey.

 

As a mother, Tawwab understands the unique challenges kids face in navigating relationships. So, the book includes an afterword for parents and caregivers, offering guidance on discussing healthy communication, self-care, and self-esteem with children and it fosters a generation of confident, self-aware, and emotionally intelligent kids.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.

1. Why is it important for children to learn that it's ok to prioritize their own happiness?

The earlier we learn to care for ourselves the easier it will be. Childhood is the building ground of many of our foundational elements of mental health. Children can be taught what makes them  and have a longer timeframe for practicing doing those things. Of course, happiness will change overtime but identifying your needs serves all ages. 

 

2. How can families encourage balance between prioritizing self-care and selfishness in kids?

There are times when children's needs can be honored and times when they cannot. Adults are responsible for creating an environment where needs can be managed. Some settings cannot accommodate every need. For instance, school is an environment where not everything can be negotiated. Teaching kids reasonable expectations includes allowing them to hear "no." Conversely, self-care practices should be nurtured, and children need reassurance that it's important for them to take care of themselves.

3. What unique challenges do kids have when trying to create healthy boundaries?

Children often worry about how they will be treated and how their boundaries might affect others. "What Makes You Happy" helps kids learn how to seek support from others to advocate for themselves. The book emphasizes that while we may make assumptions about others’ willingness to help us, we often won’t know for sure unless we ask directly.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

By the influential relationship therapist and bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, this story will help young kids learn to express their own needs rather than people-pleasing.

Avery loves to make people happy—so much so that she often ignores her own wants and needs. If a friend's favorite color is yellow, she always gives that friend the yellow marker. If someone wants PB&J for lunch, she gives up her own sandwich.

Now, her birthday is coming up and she's having trouble deciding what to do for her party. She knows her friends would love going to an amusement park, so maybe she should ignore the fact that the rides make her feel sick. Her brother loves superheroes, so she's considering having a superhero party. Luckily, her friends help her realize it's OK to do what makes you happy—especially on your own special day. Her birthday party is her best one yet!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nedra Glover Tawwab is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free. A licensed therapist and sought-after relationship expert, she has practiced relationship therapy for more than fifteen years. Tawwab has appeared as an expert on The Breakfast Club, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning, to name a few. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice, and she has appeared on numerous podcasts, including The School of Greatness, We Can Do Hard Things, and Ten Percent Happier. Tawwab runs a popular Instagram account where she shares practices, tools, and reflections for mental health and hosts weekly Q&As about boundaries and relationships. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family. This is her first children's book.

Candice Bradley is a self-taught illustrator from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her passion for storytelling in all its various forms has led to her most recent studies of Film and TV at NYU's Tisch School of Arts. She has illustrated several previous picture books.