Akash and Mila and the Big Jump, the fifth book in the Owning the Dash Kids' Book series, deals with a topic that many kids will connect with and hopefully open the door for conversation that encourage empowerment and support.

When best friends Akash and Mila start their first gymnastics class, they were excited and couldn't wait to participate and do as good as everyone else. When Akash took his turn and it didn't go as planned, the fear of not being successful and what others thought about him overwhelmed his optimism and he and Mila lose their desire to continue.

When two other classmates stepped in and tried to support and encouraged him, he gained the strength to face his fears and try again. Surprised by the outpouring of support and encouragement from the class of his accomplishment, this inspired Mila to jump right in and land perfectly.

What I love about this book is the message that it's alright not to succeed when you try something new. Even though it's natural to fear and give up, the best part of having supportive people around to encourage you is to show that you aren't alone. Fear and self esteem can influence each other especially with kids and their perspective of themselves. What a great story to share to teach them the importance of lifting each other up rather than tearing them down.

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