Author, Michelle Nelson-Schmidt is on a mission to encourage kids to believe in themselves, to be confident in who they are and what they can do. With her book Jonathan James and The Whatif Monster, she personifies that voice that makes you talk yourself out of taking a chance on something new. With a little green monster, who is adorably ugly, bringing up all the negative possible results from trying new things, Jonathan James ends up sitting on the sidelines in a world of worry. Finally the worry gets tiresome, so Jonathan James learns how to talk back to that Whatif Monster and share all of the good possible outcomes.

By personifying worry and anxiety in this little green monster, Michelle Nelson-Schmidt has helped more children and adults than she could have ever imagined! For children caught in a world where everything seems to go wrong, Jonathan James and The Whatif Monster has become a source of comfort and encouragement. The Whatif Military Challenge seeks to provide a Whatif Monster plush and book to families of veterans. View the video below to see how Michelle Nelson-Schmidt's book inspired this challenge:


Not only was The Whatif Military Challenge created, but another inspired reader, Jana Gruber, founded an organizations called Books To The Rescue!. She partnered with her local police department to stock cruisers with Whatif Monster books and plushes for officers to give to children in crisis. I am actually hoping to partner with Jana Gruber and start my own branch of Books To The Rescue! here in LA County.

Pick up the book and see if it inspires you to action! Stay tuned for activities to inspire you to address anxiety and worry in your own home using Jonathan James and The Whatif Monster.

If you want to see the author read the book, tune in to her LiveStream Story Time this evening at 7:30pm ET. She encourages viewers, gives away prizes, and reads a story. And tonight it is our Spotlight Story!