Five Faves: Picture Books About Resilience

Children are incredibly resilient for such small humans. We've seen them fall down and get back up countless times. But we've also seen then in the midst of profound struggles and want to help them grow their courage. Here are a few books about resilience that I love.

The Year We Learned to Fly
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022. Picture Book.

A brother and sister learn how to use their imagination when their family is having a hard day. Their grandmother teaches them that their ancestors before them did the same thing when they faced years of oppression. The children learn to set themselves free by the way they think.

Gib-ber-ish
By Young Vo
Montclair: Levine Querido, 2022. Picture Book.

It's Dat's first day of school in a new country and everyone sounds like they're speaking gibberish. It makes him nervous and uncomfortable. But a girl in his class makes an effort to try and communicate with him in a different way. Dat learns that he's not alone in this new place.

Sometimes, All I Need is Me
By Juliana Perdomo
Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2022. Picture Book.

This young girl loves her home, except at night when it's cold and scary. But she learns how to create her own light so she can feel calm. This girl talks about all the things she does to feel okay and they all start with her own self.

The Magical Yet
Written by Angela DiTerlizzi
Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez
New York: Disney-Hyperion, 2020. Picture Book.

There are a lot of things this girl can't do...yet! The Magical Yet will remind you that although something may be hard, that doesn't mean it's impossible. This book teaches children how to be optimistic and persevere.

Tilda Tries Again
By Tom Percival
New York: Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2022. Picture Book.

One day, Tilda's world turns upside down and she doesn't know what to do. She gets so sad that she doesn't want to do anything--it's all too hard. But Tilda decides she can do hard things.

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog