BSEL Library - "I Got This!" Resilience through Bounce Back Superpowers

​"I Got This! I Have Bounce Back Superpowers" is a brand new book by Julia Cook and Michele Borba, illustrated by Dale Crawford. It's also a must have for any elementary classroom or home. Not only is it cute and kid-friendly, but it is full of strategies to help children "Bounce Back" and work through difficult situations. 

With "I Got This!" children can learn resilience and how to bounce back with their own superpowers, too!

With Charlie, Hazel, and the wise Eagle, here are some things I love about this story, a couple notes to be aware of, and some practical ideas on how to use it in your classroom.

What I love:
- To start, this book is honestly adorable. Charlie, a little dog working to become a rescue pup, teams up with a cute squirrel named Hazel, to accomplish his goal with the help of their friend the Eagle, who shares strategies with them along the way. The story, the characters, and the illustrations will capture kids' hearts for sure.
- The six "superpowers" shared in the book are resilience strategies that could work for any child, in any situation. They're incredibly versatile, and also summarized in the back of the book with a page of examples of how adults can teach them. 

Some things to be aware of:

• I definitely recommend this book for elementary age children. While the strategies are applicable across all ages, the story itself, with a puppy as the main character, may be young for middle school and older. 
• The Eagle character is never officially given a name; rather, the dialogue is bold and italicized to signal the Eagle is speaking. This could be confusing to a child if they were to read the book on their own, making this better suited for a read aloud.

How to use "I Got This!" in your classroom:
Read with an individual student having difficulty. Discuss each strategy one at a time, and ways the student could implement the strategy. You could even create a visual for the student to refer to when they are doing activities to prompt them to use the strategies in real time.
Read the book with the entire class or group. There's a great declaration of sorts at the end of the story that you could adopt as a class to display and refer to on a regular basis. 
Teach a unit on the Bounce Back Superpowers. This would make a great SEL unit, to read the book then complete various activities that require each superpower. For example, you could practice "Brainstorm" by completing a STEM activity such as building a popsicle stick bridge. Another example is to practice "Ask For Help" by doing a cooperative puzzle-type activity in groups, where students need to ask others for information to solve it. 

I truly believe you and the children you serve will love this book as much as I did. May it inspire us all to remember, "I Got This!" when facing challenges! We'd love to hear how you use the book in the comments below.

We already know books provide opportunities to teach just about any skill, and that includes behavioral, social, and emotional skills, too! Through character, conflict, and more, BSEL skills can be found on nearly every page. A library of BSEL books gives you endless options to incorporate academics as well. Grab some BSEL books and get teaching! ***This post contains affiliate links. Braving BSEL makes a small commission when you purchase using our links. Thank you for your support!***