Goldie Hawn launched her first children’s book series with the May 5, 2026 release of “The After-School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose #1,” drawing directly from her MindUP mental health program to teach young readers about empathy and emotional resilience.
Quick Facts
- The book is co-written with bestselling author Lin Oliver and illustrated by Breanna Chambers.
- The series features three more books to follow the debut title.
- MindUP, Hawn’s mental health program, was founded in 2003 and has reached millions of children in 48 countries.
- The story follows four-graders Mia, River, and Tony as they navigate everyday challenges with kindness, curiosity, and mindfulness.
The 80-year-old Oscar winner created MindUP after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, motivated by rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide in youth. The program teaches children about their brains and how to regulate emotions through “brain breaks” — practices like sitting with a straight back, regulating breathing, and letting thoughts pass without judgment.
“A sad child can’t learn. An angry child can’t learn,” Hawn explained to People. Her new children’s book series brings those principles into narrative form, showing kids solving everyday problems with kindness rather than delivering classroom lessons.
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The debut book tells the story of three fourth-graders who become friends and go on an adventure to find a shelter dog a loving home. Co-author Lin Oliver, who has worked with Henry Winkler on other children’s books, said the collaboration with Hawn felt natural. “We would meet at the beginning of the book and talk about the principles of MindUP that we wanted the book to represent,” Oliver said, according to People.
Hawn’s 12-year-old granddaughter Rio, daughter of actor Oliver Hudson, read the book ahead of publication and gave it strong approval. “What she loved about the book is it was funny, and it is funny,” Hawn told People. The book includes “brain breaks” woven throughout, allowing readers to pause and reset alongside the characters — a feature designed to make mental health skills feel natural rather than forced.
The series reflects Hawn’s broader mission to foster emotional intelligence in the next generation. “This is kindness. This is caring. This is empathy,” she said of the books. “In these stories we’re building areas of empathetic behavior. Why? Because empathy can be taught.”
Sources
- People.com — Exclusive interview with Goldie Hawn on the book’s message, MindUP program founding, and her granddaughter’s feedback.
- Scary Mommy — Interview with Hawn discussing emotional resilience, brain breaks, and raising empathetic children through the book series.
- MindUP.org — Confirmation of the book’s release and MindUP program details.
