Book List: Bravery and Courage!
- Jordan
- Jun 10, 2021
- 3 min read
Hi All!
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Being brave is hard, but it can be worth it when all that lies between you and what you want is a little fear. Adults are equally as able to foster courage as we are to foster anxiety in children, so here are some books to help guide you and your students towards being brave.
Let me know what books you use to teach bravery and courage in your classroom! And follow the book cover links to add these books to your own Amazon list.
“Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon”, Patty Lovell
She may be the littlest, but Molly Lou is 100% spunk in this story! Faced with a bully at school, but armed with her own courage (and behind-the-scenes encouragement from her itty bitty grandma), Molly Lou turns a foe into a friend. I adore the illustrations in this book, and often read this one multiple times throughout the year.
“A Little Bit Brave”, Nicola Kinnear
Logan is most content at home, but when his friend’s safety is at risk, he summons the courage to go find her, and along the way learns that he, too, can be a bit brave. While some stories tout bravery as a bold action, I appreciate the subtly in this story, showing that being brave does not always look the same for different people.
"The Snatchabook", Helen Docherty
In this rhyming story, brave Eliza Brown works to solve the case of the missing books. But as often is, our culprit is not the fearsome thief we make think. This is a beautifully lyrical book with sweet messages about righting wrongs and loving literature.
“One”, Kathryn Otoshi
Never have I seen such simplicity in illustration convey this multitude of feelings, but Otoshi’s story about friendship and bullies hits the nail on the head every time I read it. Regardless of age group, this story has all the right moments that capture children’s experience as they navigate peer relationships, and provide enough problem solving solutions to spark a post-reading conversation afterwards. I would suggest adding her entire collection to your classroom library.
“Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race”, Margot Lee Shetterly
Bravery, courage, determination, brilliance, and tenacity- if I could impart these traits upon my students just by reading about them, I’d read this book everyday. As it stands, I read this text at least once a month, and will continue to integrate these historical accounts into our read aloud time until all stories of success, like NASA’s mission to put men on the moon, are told in a way that sheds light on every member who contributed. This text requires a bit of pre-teaching, specifically about gender bias and racial inequality, but even 5- and 6-year olds are more than capable of understanding the story, as well as having a thoughtful conversation about how this history relates to our present day.
“She Persisted” and "She Persisted: Around the World", Chelsea Clinton
… and because she persisted, our world is a better place! Each woman in this book is an inspiration on her own, but collectively this book celebrates moments when individuals faced adversity and kept going, which is a narrative that can apply to people across genders, races, and cultures. Some pre-teaching is helpful, and I’ve found that the geographic diversity of characters lends itself to meaningful conversations about geo-political landscapes and cultural traditions.
“Ron's Big Mission”, Rose Blue
A boy sets out to go to the library to check out books about space. But because it is 1959 and the boy is African-American, the story is not just about the library. In this story about race, segregation, and (in)equity, students encounter many brave characters whose individual acts show courage in the face of societal biases.
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