Books like I Knew You Could!
By Craig Dorfman
For the kid standing at the edge of something new — a first day, a big move, a graduation — this book hands them the same steady confidence that got the Little Engine up the mountain. Encouraging, warm, and steady — like a pep talk from an old friend.
When a train full of toys and treats needs to get over a mountain, a little blue engine agrees to try — chugging along on determination alone.
A long-legged girl who dreams of ballet worries her too-big feet and outspoken mouth will hold her back, so she takes bold, attention-grabbing risks when a famous director visits her class.
A confident Black boy affirms everything he is — creative, funny, brave, sometimes afraid, always resilient — celebrating his own worth in a string of joyful, declarative statements.
Two sisters wake before sunrise six days a week to practice tennis, pushing through boos and taunts from a sport that didn't expect them, on their way to becoming legends.
A picture book celebrates girls being fully themselves — splashing in mud, running science experiments, reading under flashlight beams with friends — and redefines beautiful as brave, smart, and strong.
A boy settles into the barber's chair for a fresh cut, and with every snip of the clippers feels himself transform into something sharper, prouder, and more sure of who he is.
A secret night-time inventor builds gadgets from odds and ends, but hides them under her bed until her great-great-aunt Rose visits and helps her see her crashed flying machine as a success, not a failure.
A glamorous Hollywood movie star secretly spends her nights inventing — and during World War Two, she develops a groundbreaking communications system the military doesn't take seriously, at first, because of who she is.
A boy in Punjab, born with weak legs that kept him from playing cricket or walking to school, grows stronger year by year on his family's farm and eventually runs marathons at over one hundred years old.
A thoughtful girl whispers her wish to change the world to a paper crane each night, and slowly learns to push past feeling invisible so her light can shine.
A musical girl from small-town North Carolina, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon, grows into the singer Nina Simone — her sweet voice rising into a thunderous roar of protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
A board book walks young readers through ten common feelings, pairing each one with a simple body movement and a spoken affirmation like 'I Am Brave!' to help kids meet big emotions with confidence.
