About the book
Bink feels like they’re not good or smart enough every time they make a mistake or struggle to do something. Then Bink learns that making mistakes or not knowing something isn’t bad or wrong, as they’re all opportunities to learn something new.
By staying curious, Bink builds self-confidence and learns another valuable lesson: to treat themself and others with greater compassion.
What people are saying
I can't recommend this book enough!
Nothing cuts off a young child's curiosity faster than when they worry about making a mistake or don’t know something. In this brilliant book, preschoolers learn that it's not only okay to have an uh-oh, but it’s also a kind of blessed state, a ‘present’ in Do’s words. It’s an essential part of the journey of discovering ‘what is and what isn't.’ It's a message young children need to hear. I can't recommend this book enough!
-- Teacher Tom, author of Teacher Tom's First Book
and Teacher Tom's Second Book
Educators and parents can use this book!
It's Okay Not to Know teaches kids that not knowing something is an opportunity to learn and inquire. Educators and parents can use this book to start or extend a conversation about having a growth mindset (I can't do that YET) versus a fixed mindset (I can't do that). Quality books that support this idea can be really beneficial in growing a child's confidence both in school and in general.
-- Heather Craig, Mill Park Elementary School
Principal
Open[s] the door for much needed social emotional learning
Do's new book teaches young children emotional regulation with easy, everyday activities, opening the door for much-needed SEL (Social Emotional Learning). Brenda Do has captured the essence of this in her new book. The use of repetition is essential for young readers. As a Special Education Teacher, the use of simple phrases makes it easy to incorporate into social skills lessons.
-- S. Selby M.Ed, Special Education Teacher
Young children learning in two languages will identify with the message
Young children learning in two languages in a Dual Language program will identify with the message in this beautifully illustrated book about looking at challenges as uncovering ‘presents’ when learning new things, and that it is perfectly okay for them to make mistakes, not know all the answers, and to tackle through inquiry the way things work.
- Blanca Harvey, Dual Language Facilitator K-8,
Biliteracy Instructional Coach
Opens the door for parents to have these conversations...I love this!
This story teaches kids that it’s okay to make mistakes and that good can come from them. My four-year-old quickly picked up on what was going on in the book and how the character felt. We talked about how he felt when he made a mistake, so Do opens the door for parents to have these conversations while enjoying a beautiful story. I love this!
-- Lourdes Gonzalez Torres, KSD Migrant Mental
Health Therapist
This is a great addition to a young child's bookshelf!
This book uses simple language to give children options for turning mistakes into learning experiences and sharing their learning with others. The child-centered, repetitive wording is memorable for a little one, who can use it in their own explorations of their world. The engaging and brightly colored illustrations can capture a young book-reader’s attention. This is a great addition to a young child's bookshelf!
-- Julie Thiel, Elementary K-2 Educator and Reading
Specialist
It will captivate the imagination of 3- to 5-year old readers
Brenda Do’s It’s Okay Not to Know is a delightful children’s book written with whimsy and wit, which has beautiful, full-page, colored illustrations by C.S. Fritz. From beginning to end, it will captivate the imagination of three- to five-year-old readers and assure them that it is okay not to know or to have an uh-oh.
- Heidi Eagleton, author of Maddie’s Tails: So, You
Think I Should Be a What?
What a wonderfully endearing and rhythmic read!
In the highly pressurized world in which we raise our children of today, this simply and beautifully illustrated book reminds readers of the importance of mistakes as a vital part of learning, and the precious gift of self-discovery. The author gently relays that ‘uh-oh's’ are like getting a present of childlike wonder, curiosity, and imagination, and that 'not knowing' builds the vital skill of supportive encouragement of self and others. What a wonderfully endearing and rhythmic read to help instill self-efficacy and empathy in our children!
- Alayna Septon, Elementary School Counselor
Hi There!
I'm a copywriter who spent nearly two decades helping businesses communicate in a way that's less corporate-ty and more human. So that they can connect more meaningfully with the people they serve.
As a copywriter, I'm always trying to understand why people think and do what they do. So, I geek out on behavioral psychology books and like to casually observe people in everyday interactions.
People often ask why I wrote a children's book. The short answer:
You know how adults often look back at their younger selves and think, If I only knew then what I know now...?
I wrote this book to offer some of that knowledge. So our young ones can get a head start at living their best lives.
I believe children come into this world knowing that they're powerful and limitless. But the challenges of life often cause them to doubt themselves--until kids grow up forgetting how amazing they are.
My book shows kids how to overcome the self-doubt and stress that they sometimes feel. By remaining curious and treating themselves compassionately, kids learn to turn challenges into growth opportunities.