failure, a kid's best friend
This children's book shares the story of a boy who sets out to become the first kid to land on the moon. Stumbling at his first attempt, the boy meets failure face-to-face and becomes its friend. As the boy and his new friend work together on a second try to reach the moon, the boy learns one of the most valuable lessons a child can learn: the power of embracing failure with a growth mindset.
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a book created by students and teachers
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The approach to creating this book was grounded in human-centered design, which means actual elementary school teachers and students shared with us their needs when engaging with books. Pretty cool, huh?
Throughout the writing and illustration processes, our dedicated elementary school teachers and students gave feedback that served as our North Star for creation. These students and teachers played a role in every step of the process to make sure that the book would delight and educate in the ways they needed.
about the illustrator
Alyson is an emerging artist based out of Nashville, Tennessee. She attended the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University, where she graduated with a BS in Painting and Drawing. Alyson has always had a passion for art. She enrolled in every art program through her years in primary education and pursued every outlet to share her work.
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It has always been her dream to illustrate a children’s book, and with My Friend, Failure, her dream has come true.
about the author
Anthony DeThomas wanted to share a story about overcoming setbacks after his own healthy desserts startup stumbled. While his company was unsuccessful, he now applies the entrepreneurial lessons he learned to helping large companies develop new products and services as an innovation consultant with Peer Insight.
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With a background as a congressional speechwriter, he was excited to tell this story but wanted the people who would ultimately be using the book - students and teachers - to be a part of the creation process.
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The result is a book grounded in what users need, with hints of some of Anthony's favorite things, like science, product design, and outer space.
get in touch
We love getting feedback and interacting with readers. Contact us if you want to share any comments or questions!