Gilbert Filbert and his big MAD box

When Gilbert's school project challenges him to 'make a difference', grandma introduces him to the mysterious big MAD box. Each of the sides helps Gilbert to focus on a different aspect of the challenge: setting a goal, identifying the reasons behind the goal, developing self-belief, possibility thinking, making a plan and taking action. Finally, Gilbert learns to appreciate what's inside and celebrate his unique qualities and attributes, which have helped him to succeed at his challenge. As grandma tells Gilbert, any problem is really an opportunity in a hat. The story is deliberately split into short chapters, each relating to a step in the thinking process. The resources provided mean readers can plan to make a difference of their own and develop their possibility thinking.

Drawing on proven thinking and success strategies used by leading businesses and organisations, this entertaining, accessible and humorous book is designed to show young people the power of having a goal, having a plan and making a difference.

A goal without a plan, they say, is just a wish. This book has been written especially for young people to show them how to set about turning wishes into reality by applying the sorts of planning tools usually only found in big business.

The powerful set of thinking tools included in this book will help young people to develop habits of mind that will last a lifetime. The book can be read on a number of levels:
as an amusing story
as a method for developing young people's own thinking processes
as a tool for engaging groups of young people in their thinking
all of the above

The book also includes a Gilbert Filbert big MAD box which you can cut out, or download and print, together with a finger questions sheet (this will make sense once you have read the book!).

Suitable for young people (aged 11+) to use on their own thinking adventures. Also suitable for parents, teachers or anyone working with teenagers who wants to join in the journey.

; Gilbert Filbert and his Big MAD Box, by Ian Gilbert and Andy Gilbert, is the story of one boy's desire to make a difference and help his mother find her smile again. It is a book about a boy, a box and a battle for a penguin but, more than that, it is a tale about families, hope and how to make dreams come true.

Ian Gilbert is an award-winning author and editor, a leading educational speaker and entrepreneur and a man who the IB magazine named as one of its top 15 educational 'visionaries'. He established Independent Thinking in 1994 as a platform for leading practitioners to share their work in bringing the best out of all children. Currently based in Hong Kong, he has lived and worked in the UK, South America and the Middle East and so has a special perspective on classrooms and systems, what works and what definitely doesn't.

Andy Gilbert developed the acclaimed Go MAD (Make A Difference) thinking system which is used by people in over 40 countries. He is passionate about helping people develop their ability to think in a solution focused way and spends most of his time facilitating leadership and results acceleration programmes.