Beyond “Good Job”: What We Try to Say Instead
How the way we praise can shape how children see their own effort
26 words worth knowing
ABCs for the Soul gives each letter a word to talk about, a short rhyme, and a question families can explore together.
One word. One rhyme. One question.
We wanted children to have words for talking about themselves, other people, and the world around them.
-
A word
Each letter introduces one word to explore.
-
A rhyme
Every word comes with a short, gentle rhyme that is easy to read aloud and fun to say together.
-
A question
There are no right answers. We often learn as much as our children do.
Questions we ask instead of “How was your day?”
“How was school?” often gets “Fine.” In our home, a smaller, more specific question often makes it easier to know where to begin. We gathered ten questions into a free guide, with age groups, ways to ask each one, and notes on the research behind them.
Download the free guide
No sign-up needed.
Made for Olive and River
We are Natalie and Adrian. Natalie wrote the words and Adrian drew the pictures. We made this book for Olive and River, and we are still learning alongside them.
Read our storyWhat we have been thinking about lately
Read the blog
Me, You, We: The Three Ideas Behind ABCs for the Soul
Why we organized our book around knowing yourself, honoring others, and belonging
Connection Before Correction
What we come back to when big feelings arrive
Award-winning
ABCs for the Soul won a Gold Medal in the 2026 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was named a Finalist in the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards. You can find the book on Amazon.