To the world, Ezra seems like a typ­i­cal, hap­py fourth grad­er, yet mak­ing friends and join­ing groups can be over­whelm­ing for him. His teacher intro­duces the idea that every­one has an ​“invis­i­ble‚” back­pack with bricks which oth­ers can­not see. These bricks rep­re­sent obsta­cles, emo­tions, and wor­ries that peo­ple car­ry with them each day. From this, Ezra begins to real­ize that a smile on the out­side does­n’t always reflect what’s hap­pen­ing on the inside.

Ezra’s Invis­i­ble Back­pack is a pic­ture book that shows us how kind­ness and com­mu­ni­ca­tion with those around us can go a long way in mak­ing our class­mates feel under­stood. The invis­i­ble back­pack is a con­crete tool for chil­dren to uti­lize in their dai­ly lives to bet­ter express their emo­tions. It’s the per­fect book to inspire empa­thy and empow­er chil­dren to iden­ti­fy and under­stand their emotions.