Alain Braconnier, a psychiatrist and a psychologist, is a consultant at the Pitié-Salpêtrière’s teaching hospital and a professor emeritus at the School of Practising Psychologists, in Paris. He was formerly the director of a mental health association in Paris. He is the author of such immensely successful books as Mères et fils, Les Filles et les pères, Petit ou grand anxieux and, recently, Optimiste, all of which were published by Editions Odile Jacob.

There is no doubt that young children are more optimistic than adults. Their zest for life and their enthusiasm are obvious signs of their natural optimism. But what can we do to safeguard their optimism throughout childhood and adolescence? How can we help them maintain their inner strength? How can we ensure that their optimism will drive them to become fighters, determined to overcome the difficulties they will encounter in an uncertain society and in a profoundly changing world?
The goal of this book is to help parents, teachers, and educators in general, to become aware of children’s great inner strength, to assess, foster and stimulate it, so that it becomes one of the pillars of education. Research over the past twenty years has clearly identified the ties linking optimism and hope with academic performance.
Alain Braconnier examines childhood optimism and describes a practical method to develop it. He shows that there is an inalienable element of optimism even in children with apparently pessimistic temperaments, even in the most anxious and fragile ones.

• Following the success of his earlier book Optimiste, Alain Braconnier continues to explore optimism, this time focusing on childhood.
• How to turn a natural asset into a driving force toward greater fulfilment and success: five essential points, exercises, a practical how-to method.
• Tips on how to deal with children who are prone to pessimism.