Reviewing: “A Kids Book About Perseverance” by Yonina Schnall Lermer. Kids Book About, Inc. 2023. English. Hardcover. 66 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1958825518.
Yonina Lermer has always had a passion for working with kids. She’s been in education for over 16 years and has taught every subject between elementary and middle school. When she’s not teaching, she runs her own Instagram account, @kidkoach, which promotes healthy parenting skills and communication between parents and teachers. Now Lermer is adding a new title to her resume: published author. Her new book, “A Kids Book About Perseverance,” aims to promote exactly as the title suggests.
“Perseverance can be a tough skill for kids to learn,” Lermer shared with The Jewish Link. “Throughout my years of experience working with them, I’ve come across many instances where a child is challenged. Instead of tackling the problem head on, they merely shrug their shoulders and wait for the adults to offer solutions. That’s where the idea for the book came from, and that’s why I felt compelled to create a resource that speaks directly to children about these issues.”
“A Kids Book About Perseverance” is meant to start conversations between children and adults to help them navigate obstacles, develop resilience, and understand the true value of persistence. In addition, Lermer holds workshops for parents and teachers to show them the value of the skills she’s promoting.
“At one of my workshops I presented the parents with a scenario that essentially had no obvious solution,” Lermer continued. “When they tried to work through it, many just gave up after a few minutes. They waited for me to present the solution. When you’re a kid, (or even an adult!) much of what you learn comes from making mistakes. You have to be willing to take risks. There is no reason to be afraid of failure.”
Lermer firmly believes that kids need more opportunities to fail. She presents her book as a tool that fosters a positive perspective on failure. Through her writing, readers are guided to understand that setbacks are a natural part of the learning process.
“How do we overcome failure?” Lermer continued, “How do we grow? When kids read the book, I want them to take two lessons from it. First, it’s important to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Not everything is going to work out and that’s okay.”
The second lesson she offers is, “learning how to fail forward. There are benefits to failing. This is how we cultivate perseverance. It’s about taking what you’ve learned from a setback and using that knowledge to move forward.”
In addition to her work, Lermer also runs Kidkoach, an active parent and school consultancy. Kidkoach offers parent coaching and teacher mentoring, which develops their capacity to support the children they share. She will be giving her next workshop on Dec. 20 for the Parent Association at Yeshivat Noam.
“There can sometimes be a wall between parents and teachers, and we need to open a line of communication to help them succeed,” Lermer continued. “At the end of the day, we all share the same goals: to educate and help the next generation develop into well-adjusted and thoughtful members of society. The best way to accomplish anything is by working together, and that includes the classroom.”
Lermer’s holistic approach — encompassing education, literature, and community building — reflects her commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals. By weaving together her extensive experience in education with her new book, she creates a comprehensive framework for supporting the development of children.
“Above all else, we all care about our kids,” Lermer went on to say. “We want them to succeed, and we want them to know their worth. The only way to do that is to have a dialogue with them where we say ‘I’m here for you, I support you, and I believe in you.’ By reinforcing the message that their worth is not determined solely by successes or failures, we lay the foundation for a healthy relationship with learning and self-discovery.”
“A Kids Book About Perseverance’’ is available for purchase on Amazon. To keep up with Lermer, follow her on Instagram @kidkoach. You can also email her at [email protected].
Adam Samuel is a journalist from Teaneck. He blogs at www.adamssoapbox.com.
