Writing resilience

Framing kidlit as developmentally appropriate challenge—and as a bridge for adults to nurture protective factors.

Resilience is…

“…an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” Merriam-Webster

“…the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Oxford Languages

Who I am and why I write

Like many writers, my career path is punctuated with meanders. Looking back, it’s now evident that an epic struggle unfolded between my analytic and creative “selves.” Why else would an equestrian earn an accounting degree, then create surface designs and custom decorative art, only to devote two decades to serve as a school psychologist, while learning to write kidlit?

Within each looping life-arc, I’ve experienced new challenges, people, and ideas—and discovered myself.

Writing balances my passion for artistic beauty and emotional expression, with an analytical, problem-solving mind.

Why kidlit? In addition to uncovering passions on my journey, I’ve also meandered into dark valleys and encountered ambushes—but each new hurdle I became more resilient. I’ve witnessed children and families crippled by setbacks, but I whole-heartedly believe in the power of kidlit to provide developmentally appropriate challenges that nurture resilience.

How can kidlit help children become more resilient?

Often referred to as “protective factors,” the following abilities provide children with a foundation to weather the adversities of life. Children’s literature provides a “jumping off point” for family, educators, and other adults to engage children and adolescents in recognizing, discussing, modeling, and cultivating these behaviors.

Adaptability

The ability to adjust and accept change and setbacks and learn from experiences.

Picture books (examples from your list): The Dot (Peter Reynolds), After The Fall (Dan Santat), Pug Meets Pig (Sue Gallion), Little Tree (Loren Long), The Koala Who Could (Rachel Bright), Dreamers (Yuyi Morales).

Problem-solving focus

The ability to channel energy into finding solutions without dwelling on difficulties.

Picture books: Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist (Andrea Beaty), Elephant Island (Leo Timmers), Mary Had a Little Lab (Sue Fleiss), Stuck (Oliver Jeffers).

Strong support system

The ability to cultivate connections with people who offer support.

Picture books: The Rabbit Listened (Cori Doerrfeld), The Mitten Tree (Candace Christiansen), Tow Truck Joe (June Sobel), The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires), Jabari Tries (Gaia Cornwall), Bear and Bird: Try, Try Again (Jonny Lambert).

Positive outlook

The ability to remain hopeful and focus on positives, while acknowledging negative feelings.

Picture books: Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away (Meg Medina), I Am Enough (Grace Byers), The Magical Yet (Angela DiTerlizzi), Spin (Rebecca Janni), Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses (James Dean).

Self-awareness

The ability to understand and express feelings and advocate for help.

Picture books: Sometimes I’m Bombaloo (Rachel Vail and Yumi Heo), The Good Egg (Jory John), The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Mo Willems), Spoon (Amy Krouse Rosenthal).

Sense of purpose (self-direction)

The ability to identify a strong inner drive that helps children persevere.

Picture books: Giraffes Can’t Dance (Giles Andreae), My Heart Is a Compass (Deborah Marcero), Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon (Patty Lovell), What Can You Do With an Idea? (Kobi Yamada).

Child development hub

To help myself and other writers, the summarized information is intended to guide us as we create characters and their traits, dialogue that sounds authentic, and story arcs or concepts that resonate at different developmental stages.

On this site, companion pages cover cognitive development (Piaget), speech and language milestones, moral development (Kohlberg), and symbolic play—use them together as a writer’s desk reference.