Everything is a Choice

by Valerie Smith, Andrew Salgado (Illustrator)

"I used to get angry and throw my favorite toys. I used to think 'I have to' and thought I had no choice. And then I learned some lessons that changed the way I think, and when I started using them, removed my suffering. Sit back and read along as I sing my 'Everything is a Choice' song!" The human brain loves choice. So much so that when we remove choice, our brains immediately respond, "But I don't want to!" Sound familiar? The good news is everything is a choice. Can you feel your brain smiling just reading those words?! This full-color picture book, with accompanying scan-and-play song, is a rockin' journey about choice-from choosing to feel emotions in a constructive way, to choosing how to respond when you're told, "You have to!"  Everything is a Choice will have the whole family singing, "I have a voice . . . I make a choice . . . It's all a choice!" Valerie Smith writes fun, colorful, joyful stories featuring easy-to-digest and entertaining life lessons covering topics such as releasing negative emotions and self-appreciation via Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping), the beauty of difference and equality, the power of choice, and love as an infinite resource.

36 pages, Hardcover

Published July 15, 2020

About the author

Valerie Smith is an American academic administrator, professor, and scholar of African-American literature and culture. She is the 15th and current president of Swarthmore College. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is a graduate of Bates College and the University of Virginia.