Kevin never smiles at school, but he is different at home. He jumps up and down when his favorite football team scores a touchdown, and screams "CANNONBALL!" when he jumps into the swimming pool. But at school he feels that he isn't 'okay.' Other kids in his class are much quicker at putting their hands up and answering the teacher's questions, and Kevin feels that he will never catch up. One day, his reading teacher asks him to help out with the school store, and Kevin slowly begins to realise that he had really been 'a okay' all along.

Through providing an insight into Kevin's thoughts, feelings and coping strategies, this picture book for ages 5-8 is a source of support for children who, like Kevin, find school difficult and feel that they are 'behind' their peers. The book, which draws on the author's experiences as the principal of an elementary school, is also the perfect springboard for discussion around difficulties at school, academic ability, self-esteem, confidence and recognising strengths.

This book has been graded for interest at 5-8 years.

There are 36 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2017 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers .

James Dillon has been an educator for over 35 years, including 20 years as a school administrator. While working as the principal of Lynnwood Elementary in New York, he developed the Peaceful School Bus Program, and subsequently wrote The Peaceful School Bus (Hazleden, 2008). James was named Principal of the Year in 2007 by the Greater Capital Region Principal Center and he has also received recognition for administrative leadership for character education. He was an invited participant and presenter at the first National Summit on Bullying Prevention sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education in 2010 and is a certified Olweus Bullying Prevention Program trainer. He is the author of No Place for Bullying: Leadership for schools that care for every student (Corwin, 2012) and Reframing Bullying Prevention to Build Stronger School Communities (2015). James is currently an educational consultant for Measurement Incorporated, who sponsor the Center for Leadership and Bullying Prevention. He makes presentations and conducts workshops on a variety of educational topics, including instruction, classroom management, leadership, and supervision. He has four grown children, Ernie, Tim, Brian and Hannah and two grandchildren. He and his wife, Louisa, a school social worker, live in Niskayuna, NY. Kara McHale is a graphic designer and illustrator. She is a proud Northerner, now living in London. Kara has always loved to draw and paint and even won a drawing competition when she was eight years old. She studied fine art and graphic design at university and now never has to get a proper job because she gets paid to design cool things and draw pretty pictures.

This book has the following chapters: 1. Okay Kevin. 2. A Guide for Parents and Educators.