Book Title: We Love a Challenge!: A Picture Book to Help Children Develop a Growth Mindset
Authors: Matt Bawler & Gizem Gözde Uçar
Publication Date: 30 July 2026
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) | Bloomsbury Education

We Love a Challenge! is a delightful and engaging picture book that encourages young readers to face obstacles with confidence, determination and teamwork. Through its playful rhyming text and colourful illustrations, the story follows Larry the dung beetle and his animal friends as they discover that even the biggest challenges become manageable when they are broken down into smaller steps and tackled together.

The positive message is woven naturally throughout the story, making it both entertaining and educational without ever feeling preachy. The themes of resilience, perseverance and asking for help are presented in a way that children can easily understand, helping to build a healthy growth mindset from an early age.

As part of The Courage Club series, this book also provides valuable discussion points for parents and teachers, with helpful notes at the back that encourage conversations about emotions, confidence and problem-solving. It's an excellent resource for home, classrooms and libraries alike.

With its memorable characters, rhythmic storytelling and meaningful life lessons, We Love a Challenge! is a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf and a fantastic way to inspire young readers to embrace new experiences with courage and optimism.

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A great book to help children build resilience and not fear a challenge! A resource that would be useful for most parents of young children and educators. The book supports children to understand their feelings in relation to facing a new challenge which is an important skill for growth and development.

We Love a Challenge is the second book I’ve read from this collection by Matt Bawler, and I absolutely love them. The consistent quality of the message, the catchy rhymes and the rhythmic flow make these stories incredibly engaging for toddlers and young children.

One of the things I appreciated most about this book is that it features animals we don't always see in typical children’s stories, such as a snail, a lion and a warthog. This provides a great opportunity for parents to talk about different creatures as they navigate their own struggles and moments of lost confidence. The introduction of the dung beetle is a wonderful touch; he takes the time to listen kindly to the others before sharing a powerful message about courage, the necessity of trying and failing, and the importance of resilience. Personally, the most powerful quote from this book is "You see what can happen, the power you have when you dare to give things a try". It’s a beautiful, supportive story for any little one building their self-esteem.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this wonderful addition to the series.

1. Uçar's art is very cute, relatable and is a great fit for this book series.
2. Excellent concept: growth mindset for young and older children (I think they can benefit from this).
3. Animals are struggling with some tasks and they gather, learn from the wise and each other, that it is okay they cannot do everything "yet".
I prefer more subtle books as an adult reader of picture and children's books, however, I found the more direct (though not without a narrative or on-the-nose) approach here appropriate for the target audience, their parents, carers and teachers.
Amazing addition to growth-mindset literature.

We love a challenge is part of a series of books which aim to help children understand their emotional resilience. The playful characters have a deeper message in the accompanying text and they teach children how to successfully navigate challenges.
The book would be perfect as a whole class story as part of PSHE from KS1 upwards