All the Ways to Be Smart
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Bright, picture-book reading that leans on short spreads and simple language to teach children that 'smart is not just ticks and crosses.' Read-alouds land easily: the text points to many different talents and the visuals do a lot of the emotional work, making it useful as a quick confidence booster. Limitation: the ideas are sketched rather than unpacked, so adults seeking concrete activities or nuanced discussion will find it thin. Tone stays reassuring and upbeat, which some readers may find repetitive or syrupy.
Read this if...
- •a parent of a 3–7-year-old looking for a nightly read to normalize different strengths — quick to read aloud and sparks simple conversation.
- •an early-years teacher planning a single storytime on confidence — useful as a warm opener, though you’ll want to add follow-up activities.
- •a children's librarian curating short, positive picture books for group reads — compact, visual, and easy to slot into a 10–15 minute session.
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the list-like examples keep arriving without deeper examples or next steps — repetition becomes a boredom point.
- •annoying if you prefer nonfiction or concrete classroom guides — lacks hands-on exercises, discussion prompts, or practical strategies.
- •annoying if you dislike sentimental tone or upbeat reassurance presented without nuance — readers who want tougher honesty may find it cloying.
The international bestseller that celebrates the myriad talents that each child brings to the world.Smart is not just ticks and crosses,2502By the awardwinning duo behind the beloved Under the Love Umbrella, which sold out in the UK, and The Underwater FancyDress Parade.Teaches children that there are many different ways to succeed.0802?This gorg...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a parent of a 3–7-year-old looking for a nightly read to normalize different strengths — quick to read aloud and sparks simple conversation.
- an early-years teacher planning a single storytime on confidence — useful as a warm opener, though you’ll want to add follow-up activities.
- a children's librarian curating short, positive picture books for group reads — compact, visual, and easy to slot into a 10–15 minute session.
- you'll likely put it down when the list-like examples keep arriving without deeper examples or next steps — repetition becomes a boredom point.
- annoying if you prefer nonfiction or concrete classroom guides — lacks hands-on exercises, discussion prompts, or practical strategies.
- annoying if you dislike sentimental tone or upbeat reassurance presented without nuance — readers who want tougher honesty may find it cloying.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
appears in Confidence and Fiction.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
No verified recommendation proof available yet.
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Republic by Plato. Recommended by 13 sources.
“Plato stages an extended Socratic conversation that moves from concrete questions about justice into broad proposals about an ideal city, the structure of the soul, and what counts as reality and knowledge. Reading alternates brisk question-and-answer snippets with long, cumulative demonstrations that reward careful attention and annotation. Main value: a wealth of thought experiments for testing political and ethical intuitions. Main limitation: repetitive refutations, long policy sketches and dense metaphysical passages can feel abstruse and slow; patience and some philosophical background help.”
Similar books
How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.