Unstoppable Me!

by Wayne W. Dyer, Kristina Tracy, Stacy Heller Budnick (Illustrator)

    Following in the footsteps of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s first children’s book, the bestseller Incredible You! this work goes even further toward expressing Wayne’s positive message for children. In Unstoppable Me! Dr. Dyer teaches children how to hold on to the no-limit thinking he believes they were born with, rather than just trying to “fit in.” In doing so, they can learn to truly enjoy life and become unstoppable as they strive to attain their dreams.     The 10 important lessons in this book include the value of taking risks, dealing with stress and anxiety, and learning to enjoy each moment. Each point includes an example showing how a child might apply the concept in his or her everyday life. Similar to Incredible You! there are questions at the end of the book to help spark discussion and to further reinforce Wayne’s message.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Parenting, Self Help, Spirituality, Growth Mindset

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2006

About the author

Wayne Walter Dyer was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. Dyer earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Psychology and an Ed.D. in Guidance and Counseling at Wayne State University in 1970. Early in his career, he worked as a high school guidance counselor, and went on to run a successful private therapy practice. He became a popular professor of counselor education at St. John's University, where he was approached by a literary agent to put his ideas into book form. The result was his first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold. This launched Dyer's career as a motivational speaker and self-help author, during which he published 20 more best-selling books and produced a number of popular specials for PBS. Influenced by thinkers such as Abraham H. Maslow and Albert Ellis, Dyer's early work focused on psychological themes such as motivation, self actualization and assertiveness. By the 1990s, the focus of his work had shifted to spirituality. Inspired by Swami Muktananda and New Thought, he promoted themes such as the "power of intention," collaborated with alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra on a number of projects, and was a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this self-help book for kids would be better than some of the others that I've read recently. Unfortunately, it was just more of the same privileged, ableist nonsense. There are a few good points here, as well as really cute illustrations, but a good portion of the book felt like an insult to a sizeable chunk of the population, and some of the advice was contradictory.

The book is laid out in sections, with a poem for each principle. The sections are as follows:

1. You're Great - No Matter What!
2. Persistence Pays Off!
3. Welcome the Unknown
4. You Have a Choice
5. Farewell to Worry
6. Peace Begins with You
7. Enjoy the Here-and-Now
8. Healthy Me!
9. Creativity Is the Key!
10. What Can You Give?

Now, on the surface, none of those seem particularly problematic. However, upon closer inspection, many of them just don't fit with the realities of today's childhood, where chronic conditions can wreak havoc with a kid's life and make some of these tips all but impossible to implement. Having dealt with chronic illness for most of my life, I find books like these extremely frustrating, as they end up having the opposite effect on me; I don't find them empowering at all, because there's often some principle I simply can't implement, and then I end up feeling horrible about myself.

Point #3 is the first section where kids might run into problems. Certain conditions (autism, PANDAS, etc.) can mean a person thrives on routine, and change is not just scary but potentially a threat to the person's mental health. Point #5 is another that might be an issue for the same reasons. If you're dealing with certain mental illnesses, worry is an intrinsic part of that. If it were that easy to stop worrying just by telling yourself to, conditions like OCD wouldn't even pose a problem.

Point #6 was where I really started to get irked. It's about anger, and Dr. Dyer's position seems to be that you should just let it go... no matter how justified it is. That's terrible advice! Would we have had the civil rights movement without anger? #MeToo? Anger can be a positive force if it's used constructively. (The example given in the book was terrible, too. The boy was angry because his brother stomped all over an anthill. But the book tells kids they're not allowed to be angry and just have to let things like that go. The problem is, Point #10 talks about having "respect for all things that live". By that token, the boy was perfectly justified in his anger, because his brother wasn't respecting other creatures.)

Point #7 continued in a problematic vein, teaching children to live in the present. Just recently, I saw the opposite advice, especially for people living with chronic illness. If you're unwell, the present sucks. It can be more helpful to think about the positive aspects of the past or your hopes for the future.

Point #8 was another slap in the face to those facing chronic illness, simplifying health into a matter of thinking positive thoughts. It also showed a little girl eating spaghetti and claiming it was good for her, which ignores the growing problem of gluten intolerance and celiac disease that a growing number of today's kids are having to face. (There are plenty of other healthy foods that could've been used for an example. Choosing a food that's problematic for a lot of people wasn't the best way to go.)

Most of the other points were fine, but there's so much problematic stuff in here that I don't think I could wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone whose health isn't 100% (and in an era where about half of people have one or more chronic conditions--a number that's growing all the time--it might be difficult to find such a person). It's almost as if this book was written for another time. As it is, it reads as an instruction manual aimed at privileged kids whose biggest problem is worrying about doing well on a spelling test. If you're dealing with poverty, inequality, discrimination, or illness, you might end up wanting to toss this book across the room.

[Jahnavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this which motivates, inspires and help us to improve ourselves. The 10 ways in this book really makes me who I am now . Life changing book for kids . It teaches us to be kind , to learn and to stay in good health.

[Lisa Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wayne Dyer for kids...what could be better.

[Rajita P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

เราเคยอ่านหนังสือจิตวิทยา (อันที่จริงผ่านการฟังแบบ audiobook) ของดร.เวย์น ไดเออร์ มาก่อน และชอบแกมาก รับรู้มาบ้างว่าดร. เขียนหนังสือเด็กด้วย แต่ก็ยังคาดเดาไม่ได้ว่าจะเป็นยังไง
จนวันนี้ได้มาอ่านจึงรู้ว่า มันดีมาก ๆ มันคือการสอนจิตวิทยาการใช้ชีวิตให้เด็ก ผ่านบทกลอนและภาพประกอบที่ทันสมัย เราเองชอบการอ่านกลอนภาษาอังกฤษมากก็ยิ่งชอบไปกันใหญ่
มีบางคนตั้งข้อสังเกตว่าเด็กจะเข้าใจที่สื่อไปไหม เราว่าเข้าใจได้นะ หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นกลอนที่ยาวอยู่เหมือนกัน ยังไงก็เหมาะกับเด็กโตประมาณประถมปลายอยู่แล้ว นึกถึงตัวเองตอนนั้นคงจะดีหากมีโอกาสได้อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ !

[Shaamis Mujeeb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book very good, for little kids and how to be succesful in life, but if it were for someone my age than they would not like it. That is why I am giving it such a low rating. I own this book for a while now and i have read it a couple of times, it made an impact on me when I was little, but now it states everyday things.

[Ursula S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the artwork and the premise, but it was a little wordy and not as succinct as a children's book can be. It's definitely more for an older child or adult.

[Briana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Covers 10 ways to be awesome and unstoppable. Each seems easy and trite, with questions referring to each at the end. Felt like they tried to cover too much in one book.

[Jennie Abito-Carlestav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun and creative way to get a great message to kids.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice teachings for kids

All the ideas presented are things we all should know and follow. Here they are presented in a very nice, easy to understand way for kids to learn valuable lessons

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

10 ways to soar through life
1. you're great no matter what
2. persistence pays off
3. welcome the unknown
4. you have a choice
5. farewell to worry
6. peace begins with you
7. enjoy the here and now
8. healthy me
9. Creativity is the key
10. what can you give!

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Great conversation. This would be a good book to read over and over to your child to really send the message about how to live life right.

[E.O. Worth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and message in the beautiful childrens book

[Boom! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this! The message, the rhymes, the illustrations all excellent!

[Patrick Boivin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for children

[Fiona Donohue · Rating 2 out of 5]

#61

[Amy Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life lessons written within a child’s understanding. The very lessons it took me years to learn.

[Elisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing resource for kids for loving themselves through the good and bad. My favorite part is chapter 6, Peace begins with you, when the boy is mad at his brother because he stepped on an ant hill, but instead of hitting him, he plays with him nicely and goes on his tire swing, instead. I learned from this that even when we get angry, we should be nice to someone no matter what. When you make peace with someone, it helps pain and negative thoughts shift away from you and the other person. If guns, knives, and bombs didn't exist in this world, we would be able to make peace with animals and different nationalities more easily. I also love the illustrations! They are bright and colorful and very descriptive when you read the rhymes. I recommend this book for anyone with kids (or expecting), it helps kids and adults love themselves, choose what they think is right, and to try new things.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely awesome. For my family, it’s a golden oldie. My daughter (9yo) and I still re-read it whenever she needs a little pick me up. Both the artwork and the writing are amazing. The lessons are easily understood by early and mid-level readers. I plan to start reading this book to my son (4yo) very soon and anticipate reading it to my youngest (1 yo) as well. In this book Dr. Dyer speaks of not just fitting into society, but being true to yourself. He also touches the issues surrounding the value of taking risks and embracing change, overcoming anxiety and just plain learning to enjoy life for all that it has to offer. I love the Q&A topics at the back of the book; they act as great conversation starters for you and your child.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wayne Dyer's kids books have great principles. I don't know how good they are for young children. The poety and drawings are so fun. I suggested to my daughter that she could take 20 minutes to explain each principle to her 4 year old. Then I think she would need to reiterate the talks until he lived them. Things like bullying that children have to put up with in life can be bearable and dismissed by understanding what Dyer is talking about.
It's easy for me to understand the book because I've been studying his adult books and listening to his CDs and interviews. Try one and see if your child will be able to comprehend Dyers books.

[Treathyl Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elementary school teacher recommended the book for my daughter. It was enjoyable. Written in a poem and easily understandable for a young child. Motivating and good for character or personality development. Published review at HUBPages.com http://cmoneyspinner1tf.hubpages.com/...

[Lauren Iuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just found this book when searching for books and I found it so interesting to read. It gives children the message that nobody can stop them. I found it to be fun for children especially those who need a little more confidence. I really enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend reading this book to children.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great children's book. I love how it gives reasons to children to just keep going and to find their own ways to do things. It puts into words what I've been trying to teach my children. I also recommend his other work: Incredible You! 10 Ways to Be Happy Inside and Out (Hardcover)

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good looking children's book about topics such as change, creativity, worry, persistence, choices, happiness, service, etc. Great topics to discuss with your children and remember for myself. Makes you feel like you can become better in small steps.

[Brynna Schiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had known about this book when my child was younger.
This book gives every child the confidence to do what life demands in simple ways easy for them to understand. Every little child should read it.

[Darrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the positivity of this book. It teaches children to always shoot for their goals. From a list of top things to and examples of scenarios of how to implement the suggestions with in. Share this book with pre-k students and anyone else who needs a little motivation

[De Stewart-otto]

I enjoy a book that gives me positive messages to share with my children. I can imagine a child from about the age of 5 to my now 10 year old daughter enjoying the book. The illustrations are bold and --- unstoppable.

[Shannon Sevcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positive classroom environment, self esteem, community building. Strong theme of persistence that could lead into group discussion. Great book to pull out for a child who is having a bad day and needs some positive reinforcement.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for my kids. I read it to them as often as I can.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for kids! Boost their self-esteem, tells kids that they can accomplish anything they put their heart into!

[Shelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What great values to teach children - believe in themselves, the world is theirs . . .! My kids love the questions that are asked at the back of the book!