Are you feeling frustrated that your strong-willed child refuses to take any advice from you?
Have conversations aimed at teaching valuable life lessons turned into constant power struggles that leave both of you frustrated, with no lessons being learned along the way?
Are you looking for an easy way to start having meaningful conversations with your strong-willed child that will actually help to start teaching some valuable life lessons?
Henry Knows Best! is here to help you!
Henry Knows Best! is a rhyming children’s book, written for children ages 3-8, who need assistance understanding how to learn from their mistakes and take guidance from others.
Children love the vivid illustrations and adorable corgi puppy, Henry, who learns throughout the day that even though he thinks that he knows best, this isn’t always the case, and that there are real consequences (for himself and others) to “I know best” kind of thinking.
Adults love the Note to the Caregiver section that explains how to use Henry Knows Best! in a way that helps to initiate conversations with strong-willed kids about the value of learning from mistakes, listening to and taking guidance from others and the consequences of “I know best” kind of thinking.
What Readers Are Saying About Henry Knows Best!
“A Rhyming Conversation-Starter”
“A Must Read for Families and Their Strong Willed Children!”
“Good Book for Parents and Caregivers of Strong-Willed Kiddos!”
“A Nice Social Story Book for Strong Willed Children with Bright Interesting Illustrations”
“An Excellent, Whimsical, and Colorful Book that has been Crafted with Both the Child and Caregiver in mind! What a Great Resource for Those of Us Lucky Enough to Have a Strong-Willed Miniature Beings in Our Lives.”
I absolutely loved this book! This is a must read for families and their strong willed children! The fact that the character is a dog is so creative and really pulls the reader in. I think that kids will enjoy this and want to see what happens next in the story. My favourite part of the book is towards the end where Henry’s Mom chats with him and they review his day together. She teaches him about the idea of compromise which I think is a great tool in their tool belt for strong willed kids to use.
— Parent of 2 Strong-Willed Children
As a mother of 4 strong-willed children (of varying degrees), and a behavior coach at an elementary school, I love the concept of storytelling to help communicate with kids who may be unwilling to admit they have a flaw. After reading about Henry together, I found that we could talk about “hypothetical Henry” using events from the child’s life without it being about them. Kids are much more willing to talk about their own flaws when projecting them onto someone else, and Henry is such a loveable character that most of them do. Obviously with kids it is going to be hit or miss but you can never have too many tools in your belt! And I look forward to getting a printed version for our school wellness room! Kids loved the beautiful illustrations and the fun story. Of course, my strongest-willed child thinks he knows better than to let a book help him make better choices…..
— Mother of 4 Strong-Willed Children and Elementary School Behavior Coach
If you are the parent or caregiver of a strong-willed kiddo, this is a good book to own. As you read Henry’s story, your little one will be able to relate to how Henry responds to different situations. The conversation between Henry and his mom at the end of the story offers a great launching point to have your own conversations with your little one. The illustrations are super cute, and the rhyming story is fun to read. Emily, the books author, also provides great pointers to parents and caregivers of strong willed kids at the beginning of the book. All in all, a great buy for parents and caregivers of strong-willed kiddos.
— Sumitha, AFineParent.Com
An excellent, whimsical, and colorful book that has been crafted with both the child and caregiver in mind! What a great resource for those of us lucky enough to have strong-willed miniature beings in our lives. The book opens with a lovely note to the caregiver providing a gentle reminder about the significance of teaching both consequences and displaying love/affection to all children – especially the strong-willed ones. This story was crafted with love in a non-judgmental way that weaves in the balance of supporting our children in a healthy manner that does not crush their bold and brilliant spirits. It has been a springboard for subtly discussing valuable life lessons and sparked many questions (and possibly some introspection) from our little ones. We will be adding this gem to our regular rotation. Excellent book!
— Parent of 2 Strong-Willed Children
About the Author
Emily is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor who works with children and their parents in play therapy at her counseling practice, and a blogger for parents of strong-willed children.
Emily became inspired to write Henry Knows Best! after years of hearing parents of strong-willed children share their stories about their attempts to encourage more cooperative behavior in their child without crushing their child’s spirit in the process.
Emily used her first-hand experience working with these parents to create a loveable, strong-willed character that children can connect with and learn from to help and support parents of strong-willed children as they try to accomplish this goal.
When she’s not helping children and their parents, she’s at home with her husband, two sons and two corgis. You guessed it…one of them is a strong-willed corgi named Henry!
Who Should Read This Book?
Henry Knows Best! was written to help parents, caregivers and educators of strong-willed children to introduce the strong-willed child in their life to the concept of learning from mistakes and growing from the advice that others have to share—in a positive, friendly and age-appropriate way.
Henry Knows Best! offers an opportunity for parents and caregivers of strong-willed children to take a break from what seems like constant power struggles with “I know best” kind of thinkers and transfer that focus onto Henry, an adorable strong-willed corgi who is loved deeply by his family but who also experiences some challenges in life due to his strong-willed personality.
It allows you to stop arguing and to start having valuable conversations about how to learn from mistakes and listen to others
- Without power struggles,
- Without tears, and
- Without threatening punishment
Henry Knows Best! allows you and your strong-willed child (or student) to spend quality time together that results in a positive lesson learned without all of the arguing, power struggles, and (of course) guilt.
Available in 3 Different Formats
Where Can You Find Your Copy?
Select your preferred book retailer and book format below to buy your copy:
If you have a preferred book retailer, you can help get Henry Knows Best! onto their shelves. Simply provide them with this information and ask if they can carry the book for you to purchase. If you are located in the US, this is also the process to take to request for your local library to carry the book for you to rent for FREE!
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