Member Reviews

My students all have additional support needs, and a lot of them lack confidence due to a variety of factors, so this book is absolutely perfect for them.

An adorable pick me up which highlights how much our attitude and self worth can be affected by how we speak to ourselves. Definitely one I’ll be purchasing for my classroom.

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This was so cute and so inspiring. I really love this and the message that is presented in this book. It makes for a great read for when the kids just need to good and positive reminder. Definitely buying this one.

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I'm Going to Have a Good Day is a great book to read to children over and over to help them to build self-confidence and make daily affirmations a habit. I am not familiar with the tik-tok mother/daughter team as I don't use that platform, but if there is more of this type of positivity, I might just check it out. In this book, Scarlet is a young girl who is part of a bi-racial family. She is proud of her family and her part in it. Everyday as her mom helps her get ready for the day and does her hair, they repeat affirmations to start the day in an uplifting way. "I am beautiful" "I am strong" "I am brave" "I am kind" and more are included. As the book progresses, Scarlet is in different situations where an affirmation helps her to move forward. I like the concept and wish parents would all help their children to be positive, have a good self-concept and how to use these to overcome difficult situations. I tried to get my grandchildren to repeat them after me and the older ones did, but the little one just got silly. I think this would be a great book for new parents, baby showers etc. The illustrations were also wonderful. They were large, bright, vibrant and showed happiness and other emotions.

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Such a sweet sweet book! This is a wonderful book for little ones about positive affirmations. Also I love the diversity included. The illustrations were so pretty!

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I’m Going to Have a Good Day!: Daily Affirmations with Scarlett by Tiania Haneline is an awesome book that helps kids feel their worth. I enjoyed the affirmations that are in the book. I believe that I’m Going to Have a Good Day!: Daily Affirmations with Scarlett would be great for any reading session. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

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A children’s book all about positive affirmations. I am brave. I am strong. I am kind. I loved it! It shows Scarlett starting her day with the affirmations, remembering them in the middle of the day when she is presented with challenges, and remembering them with her mom when she goes to bed.

The illustrations show Scarlett as an African American girl living in a bi-racial family. Her mother is white. This would be a great book for biracial kids who have adoptive or foster parents who have different skin color than them. I loved seeing that representation.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book. A review was not required, and all opinions are my own.

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A cute book about a little girl who repeats affirmations her mom teaches her as she goes about her day. Teaches kids that they are beautiful, kind, strong, and brave and that God loves them. Would be a good read for a kid who is scared of new situations.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my
own.

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Admittedly, I went in with low expectations. I am rarely impressed by picture books written by anyone who has become internet famous. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the book. While I found the introduction to Scarlett to not really be necessary to the overall story, the introduction to affirmations and how she uses them was sweet. While this wouldn't be something I would use in a storytime, I could see this being something parents would enjoy. The illustrations were beautiful, expressive, and colorful.

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DISCLAIMER: I received a review copy of I’m Going to Have a Good Day! from the publisher via NetGalley UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author Tiania Haneline and to the publisher Zonderkidz for the opportunity to review this title.

I’m Going to Have a Good Day! is a picture book based on TikTok star Scarlett Gray’s daily positive affirmation recitals, as written by her mother, Tiania Haneline. In the book, we see Scarlett reciting her affirmations one day while her mother brushes and styles her hair, and witness the lasting impact that these affirmations have on her self-confidence and self-belief in challenging scenarios later on, such as a dance class, being left out of playing video games by her siblings, and learning how to ride her bike without stabilisers. In these scenarios, Scarlett’s affirmations help her to ground herself and remember that she is brave, is kind, is strong – and educates readers both young and old that they are capable of having this same self-belief in themselves as well.

While Scarlett does eventually remember and apply her affirmations in each of the aforementioned scenarios, at first, she does express her concerns and doubts to the reader. She approaches each scenario with caution, or else in a flawed manner in the first instance, such as stealing her siblings’ gaming controller before remembering she should be kind, and returning it to them in order to play with them and share in the fun. This makes Scarlett a very relatable protagonist for young readers, as her initial behaviours are likely recognisable by them, and they may have done the same in similar scenarios or slightly different ones themselves. Scarlett’s recitals and applications of her affirmations then shows readers what a more appropriate or ambitious response might be, and also shows that they have the power to believe in themselves and their abilities just as she does. The inclusion of some of Scarlett’s favourite affirmations at the end of the story is a very nice touch, giving readers a place to start if wishing to try them out for themselves.

Before reading I’m Going to Have a Good Day!, I had not heard of Scarlett Gray nor her mother Tiania Haneline, despite being a frequent user of TikTok. After finishing the book, I made sure to look the pair up and watch some of their videos that had inspired it, and was treated to some great clips of the two interacting, of Scarlett shouting her positive affirmations to the camera, and of mother Tiania showing off her ability to style Scarlett’s curls in a variety of ways. It was through watching some of their videos that I also learned that the mixed race family shown at the start of the book – being excellent representation on its own – is in fact a fictional depiction of Scarlett’s real-life family, and that Scarlett is herself biracial. Having watched video discussions by people of colour in the past, I know that adequate and effective hair care for people of colour is notoriously more challenging, and sometimes neglected by caucasian parents / guardians, so it is lovely to see the importance of this emphasised in the pair’s videos and shown as part of the story of I’m Going to Have a Good Day!, too.

The illustrations in I’m Going to Have a Good Day! are by Stephanie Dehennin, and I must say, they are simply lovely to look at. Dehennin’s artistic style, use of colour, and chosen layout for each of the two-page spreads is superb, and I found myself scouring each page to look at and appreciate the smaller details included in each. She captures Scarlett’s real-life appearance really well on the page, in particular showing off her various hairstyles in a really vibrant manner, while also accurately representing the rest of Scarlett’s family as well, bringing them to life and showing off each of their personalities. A stunning added touch is the opening and closing inside cover illustrations, which sum up Scarlett’s various affirmations as well as demonstrating some additional ones. The only divisive affirmation that I have seen other reviewers commenting on is “God loves me”, which is included in these inside cover illustrations, as well as the line “God loves you too” at the very end of the book. For atheists like myself, or those following another religion, this perhaps creates distance with Scarlett’s message if spotted; for me personally, I didn’t take any issue with it, though I do feel that in the sense of self-belief and self-confidence, this should wholly come from within and not from any external sources.

Overall, I found I’m Going to Have a Good Day! to be an enjoyable and entertaining picture book, capturing Scarlett and Tiania’s real-life positive affirmations in a fictional format. It isn’t overly long or complex, and shows the positive impact that daily affirmations can have on a person’s self-confidence and self-belief – particularly in young people. Haneline’s writing was well-adapted to a young audience, flowing easily and being easily readable, so I took no issues with that. In fact, I have very few gripes with the book at all, but two that do stand out are that it does not use the word “affirmations” when they are first recited by Scarlett, which may confuse younger readers when the term is brought up later, and that it does not directly address the possible question in readers’ minds about how to make reciting affirmations like Scarlett effective. It is one thing to recite an affirmation daily, but another thing entirely to believe it while you’re saying it like Scarlett does in the challenging scenarios she goes through, so something to discuss how to believe in the words you recite would have been nice to see.

I would recommend I’m Going to Have a Good Day! to young people of the recommended reading age of 4-8 years, as well as to any older readers like myself who maybe need a reminder that it is possible to drive yourself forward and believe in yourself without external validation or motivation. After all, we are all capable of empowering and believing in ourselves just like Scarlett!

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The only reason I won’t be purchasing this for my classroom is due to the mix of religion/school, however I will keep this title in mind for when I have children of my own. I love the inter-racial family in the beginning as well as the positive affirmations presented. Additionally, I think it’s great that there are further examples of affirmations at the back of the book. Very cute and very well done.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. Review will be posted on my instagram @lizzies_little_library_

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We do daily affirmations, and I absolutely LOVE how this book puts those affirmations into motion! It shows real life examples of when children (or anyone!) can remember and practice their affirmations to be denf esteem, and overcome negative thoughts. This is a wonderful book and I will certainly be buying it when it comes out!

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙔𝙤𝙪 Zonderkids for this e-ARC! Ronan and I loved this one.

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For a Christian publisher this is a disappointment.

I am kind.
I am strong.
I am brave.

Or something like that in some order, which if it ended with "in Christ" I would agree with, but the only mention of God was to say God loves me. Which is correct, but the book is misleading in the fact that it is I am fill in the blank but it's not through Christ as it should be.

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary ebook or physical copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher or blog tour coordinator All views expressed are only my honest opinion and are in no way influenced by others views or wishes.

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This is a really nice book that explains how to use affirmations, as well as the power they can have over the course of a day. I like how the main character in the book shows her struggle with them at times, but also shows how perseverance pays off. The affirmations at the end of the book are a good resource too and I could absolutely see myself using this in a lesson with the children I teach.

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Received a copy on NetGalley. An upbeat look at how affirmations can help in a moment of need. Fun for followers of Scarlett and Tiania on Tik Tok. A great read for anyone looking to instill confidence in their littles.

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Our narrator, Scarlett, gives us tips on how to use affirmations to have a good day. And I love the way that Scarlett is taught these affirmations: by her mother speaking them to her every morning, and having her repeat them, while she styles Scarlett's hair.

Scarlett is biracial with curly black hair, while her mother is Caucasian with very straight hair. Hair care for children of color is sometimes neglected by their non-POC parents, but with Scarlett, hair care is expressly the responsibility of her mother, and her mother is not only caring for her daughter physically in these moments, but also uses this time to build Scarlett's confidence. As they work, the mother asks Scarlett to repeat affirmations. You can tell, if this little girl was real, these are the memories of her mother she'd cherish the most when she's older.

Scarlett's morning affirmations follow her throughout the day. As she feels doubt or fear, she pauses to repeat them to herself, regaining the confidence to try hard things. And it's not just her that benefits! All about Scarlett, her family and friends hear her affirmations and repeat them, allowing them to also conquer their challenges.

As a note, whether you are religious or non-religious, one of the listed affirmations at the back of the book (not within Scarlett's story itself) is "God loves me." For some of you, that will be an extra selling point. For me, there was some hesitation, as we are a non-religious family. But, luckily, my kid can't quite read yet, so I didn't feel the need to bring that line up. Deal with it as you will!

Advanced review copy provided by the publisher.

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I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of great lessons for children to learn in regards to their behavior and character. The author managed to hit all of the different emotions a child might have without making the story too long. It was well written and inspiring. I know it was written with foster children and adoptions in mind but it is really perfect for all children.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book i exchange for a honest review.This book is such a great idea and is really what we need to hear both adults and kids. I love the messages within it. Well worth investing in a copy

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I think teaching children about positive affirmations is so important. But so often we don’t show how to use them or why we use them. This book does the opposite! It shows how Scarlett practices her affirmations with her mom every morning and then when she encounters situations how she remembers them. What a great book that I would purchase not only as a mom but as a psychologist!

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Affirmations come in different ways and sometimes we need to be reminded of those affirmations when we are having a bad day. Scarlett is reminded of those affirmations when she is grumpy, sad, or left out. Affirmations sometimes help us be kind to others as well. It is important for parents to talk with their children about affirmations and how to be healthy with our affirmations.

A special thank you to Zonderkidz and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

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I really wanted to like this book because I love the teaching of affirmations to children and empowering them to be their best selves and enjoy every day. However, I have a philosophical problem with this book: It is written by and about a mom who went viral on TikTok for sharing her and her daughter’s morning routine of affirmations. As heartwarming as that is, the child is not young enough to consent to having her image and words all over the internet and now in a book. Additionally, this story includes religious themes which may not be appropriate for or appreciated by all members of the target age group.

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