You Can't Please Everyone!

Ellie feels like she is disappointing people if she says “no.” One way or another, she thinks she is hurting someone’s feelings. Or she puts other people’s wants or needs in front of her own. With help from her parents and her teacher, Ellie finds the strength to be honest with people and do the right thing for herself by learning how to say “no.”

This is a hopeful, helpful story for kids who need reassurance that they can be nice to others and be true to themselves.

Ellen Flanagan Burns is a school psychologist and the author of The Tallest Bridge in the World: A Story for Children About Social Anxiety, Nobody's Perfect: A Story for Children About Perfectionism, and Ten Turtles on Tuesday; A Story for Children About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. She devotes her writing to helping children overcome anxiety. She believes that children's books can be a powerful therapeutic tool and supports cognitive-based interventions for children with anxiety-related issues.

She lives in Newark, Delaware. Find her on Instagramopens in new window.

Tracy Nishimura Bishop has a degree from San Jose University in graphic design, with a focus on illustration and animation, and is the illustrator of more than 20 children’s books.

She lives in San Jose, California. Visit her websiteopens in new window and follow her on Instagramopens in new window and Twitteropens in new window.

• Dear Reader
• Chapter One: Put on the Spot
• Chapter Two: Heavy Feelings
• Chapter Three: Jenna the Jacket
• Chapter Four: Empty Cup
• Chapter Five: It’s Not My Job to Pick Your Ice Cream
• Chapter Six: It’s Okay to Say No
• Chapter Seven: Not Guilty
• Chapter Eight: Doing the Right Thing, Not the Pleasing Thing
• Chapter Nine: Friends for Life