Kylie Bales I Can Fly

Dweck (2006), points out that everyone thinks differently, acts differently, and fares differently from one another. How one thinks, acts, and fares depends on his or her mindset. Shortly, how Kylie Bales’ picture book “I Can Fly” illustrates Dweck’s principal points will be discussed. Additionally, a transcript will be provided from my discussion with my seven-year-old nephew, Luke, and his impression of Kylie Bales’ “I Can Fly.”
How “I Can Fly” Illustrates Dweck’s Points Bales’ picture book demonstrates what it is like for a little yellow bird who is determined to fly. Despite failure after failure, and even being laughed at by the other birds, the little yellow bird continued to try and try again. After multiple attempts, the little bird successfully takes flight. Of the two mindsets described by Dweck, this picture book does a great job of illustrating a growth mindset. As described by Dweck (2006), a “growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.” The little bird, determined to fly, learned through each failure what could be done differently to succeed.

Someone with a fixed mindset would have acted very differently than the little bird in Bales’ book. If the bird had a fixed mindset, the bird may have felt like a loser and might have given up. “In other words, they’d see what happened as a direct measure of their competence and worth,” (Dweck, 2006). Of course, the fact that the bird has a growth mindset does not mean that he was not upset or disappointed. In fact, when the other birds were laughing and mocking him, he was sad. However, this did not stop him from trying. Those with a growth mindset continue to take risks, challenge themselves, and work on their failures even when feeling distressed (Dweck,