Trying, Written by Kobi Yamada and Illustrated by Elise Hurst

Trying, written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Elise Hurst, spoke to my teacher heart. It especially spoke to my teaching heart in these strange and unusual times, where the obstacles we are all facing sometimes feel insurmountable.

…disappointment hurts. But failure is temporary, and in many ways, necessary. It shows us how something can’t be done, which means we are a little closer to finding out how it can.

Trying is the story of a young boy, inspired and encouraged by an experienced sculptor. The sculptor encourages the boy to try to create his own beauty. The boy does, only to his own disappointment, things don’t go as he had hoped. He returns to the sculptor for more wisdom. His wise words do not disappoint:

“The truth is, we are all failures. The dreamers, the doers, the creators…Being a failure means you loved something. You cared. It means you stepped forward, and you didn’t hold back, you tried…”

There are so many lessons, for people of all ages, to take from this simple story all about the power of making mistakes and the beauty that comes from those mistakes.

“When we make it safe to fail, we make it safe to succeed.”