Courage for Kids

Right now I have a couple of young clients with serious school fears.  I've been putting together a book list for them and their parents, and thought I'd post it here as well.  Any other books about courage and bravery that I should add to my list? Picture Books

  • Brave Irene, by William Steig
  • Sheila Rae, The Brave, by Kevin Henkes
  • Courage, by Bernard Waber
  • Ira Sleeps Over, by Bernard Waber
  • The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles
  • The Little Yellow Leaf, by Carin Berger
  • The Dandelion Seed, by Joseph Anthony
  • Wallace’s Lists, by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik
  • The Heart and the Bottle, by Oliver Jeffers
  • The Bravest of Us All, by Marsha Diane Arnold
  • Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

Read Aloud or Read to Yourself

  • Call it Courage, by Armstrong Sperry (Grades 3-6)
  • The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech (Grades 3-6)
  • Fire from the Rock, by Sharon Draper (Grades 4-7)
  • Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry (Grades 5-8)
  • Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen (Grades 6+)
  • Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, by Jennifer Armstrong (Grades 6+)
  • The Boy Who Dared, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Grades 6-9)
  • Brave Hearts (non-fiction, recipients of children’s bravery awards in India)

Websites to Search (type in “books for children about courage” OR “…about bravery”)

  • Scholastic.com
  • Barnesandnoble.com
  • Amazon.com

References for Parents

  • Raising Courageous Kids:  Eight Steps to Practical Heroism, by Charles A. Smith
  • Why Courage Matters:  The Way to a Braver Life, by John McCain
  • Conscience and Courage, by Eva Fogelman
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