Darren McKee – illustratör

Zach and his family go to the beach, but Zach is having a lousy day. First, he dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. Then his best friend went to someone else’s birthday party instead of joining him. But most frustrating of all, he can’t get his kite to fly! Zach kicks sand, yells angry words, and asks his dad if they can just go home. Instead, his dad teaches him a simple, three-step approach to dealing with frustration so he can find a way to enjoy himself even when things aren’t going his way: Name it (why are you frustrated?)Tame it (self-regulation exercises such as deep breathing or visualization)Reframe it (change your thoughts to change your feelings).Zach Gets Frustrated teaches children social skills they will easily understand and remember when dealing with frustration. The three-point strategy is presented as the three corners of a triangle and is illustrated using the corners of Zach’s kite.Zach Rules SeriesZach struggles with social issues like getting along, handling frustrations, making mistakes, and other everyday problems typical of young kids. Each book in the Zach Rules series presents a single, simple storyline involving one such problem. As each story develops, Zach and readers learn straightforward tools for coping with their struggles and building stronger relationships now and in the future.

For Zach, a class field trip to the museum is about more than cool exhibits—it’s about learning from mistakes and dealing with feeling embarrassed. First he forgets to wear his field trip shirt, then he forgets the rule about not touching displays. His teacher helps him see that everyone makes mistakes—and how to use them to grow and develop a growth mindset. Using an easy-to-remember tool, the Key to Mistakes, she shows Zach and readers a simple three-step process: Detect (find the reason for the mistake)Correct (fix the mistake if you can)Reflect (think back about your mistake to find what you can learn from it)A short note is included to help teachers, parents, counselors, and other adults reinforce the book’s messages and practice the Key to Mistakes when kids are feeling embarrassed.Zach Rules SeriesZach struggles with social issues like getting along, handling frustrations, making mistakes, and other everyday problems typical of young kids. Each book in the Zach Rules series presents a single, simple storyline involving one such problem. As each story develops, Zach and readers learn straightforward tools for coping with their struggles and building stronger relationships now and in the future.

Picture book that teaches kids how to persevere when things get difficult through positive self-talk.Zach has set a goal for himself—to get across the tricky trapeze rings on the playground. Every time he tries, he falls off before making it to the end. But with encouragement from his best friend Sonya and positive self-talk, Zach uses a four-step approach to persevere to the end: Start with a goalMake a planMake a new plan if neededKeep trying to the endZach feels so great about his success that he writes down the steps he used so he can repeat them next time he faces a tough challenge. A short note is included to help teachers, parents, counselors, and other adults reinforce the book’s messages and help kids practice positive self-talk and develop a growth mindset as they learn how to persevere.Zach Rules Series Zach struggles with social issues like getting along, handling frustrations, making mistakes, and other everyday problems typical of young kids. Each book in the Zach Rules series presents a single, simple storyline involving one such problem. As each story develops, Zach and readers learn straightforward tools for coping with their struggles and building stronger relationships now and in the future.

Zach learns how to be an upstander and finds his courage using his stand-up-to-bullying STAR.When Zach sees his friend Sonya being bullied at school, he doesn’t know what to do or how to be an upstander. The kids who are being mean are popular—it’s scary to think about getting involved. After talking with his brother and remembering what his teacher taught the class about bullying prevention, Zach creates a tool for being an upstander called the stand-up-to-bullying STAR:  Speak up by talking to the people being bulliedTake off by helping them leave the areaAsk questions about how they are feeling and actively listen to the answersReport what happened to an adult as soon as you canThe next day when Zach stands up for Sonya, he realizes it feels great to be an upstander. A short note is included to help teachers, parents, counselors, and other adults reinforce the book’s messages and help kids learn how to be an upstander. Zach Rules SeriesZach struggles with social issues like getting along, handling frustrations, making mistakes, and other everyday problems typical of young kids. Each book in the Zach Rules series presents a single, simple storyline involving one such problem. As each story develops, Zach and readers learn straightforward tools for coping with their struggles and building stronger relationships now and in the future.