The Hugging Tree

The Hugging Tree tells the story of a little tree growing all alone on a cliff, by a vast and mighty sea. Through thundering storms and the cold of winter, the tree holds fast. Sustained by the natural world and the kindness and compassion of one little boy, eventually the tree grows until it can hold and shelter others.

Moral of the story: Teach resilience, self-confidence, and self-control and help children to overcome challenges they may be facing at home or school.

Keywords:  Resilience; Self-confidence; Self-control; Compassion

Bounce Back! : A book about resilience by Cheri J. Meiners 

Resilience—the ability to recover or “bounce back” from problems, hurt, or loss—is critical for social and emotional health and helps people feel happy, capable, and in charge of their lives. Foster perseverance, patience, and resilience in children with this unique, encouraging book. Young children learn thought processes and actions that are positive, realistic, and helpful for bouncing back. The book also helps children recognize people who can support them in times of difficulty. Back matter includes advice for raising resilient children and fostering resiliency at school and in childcare.

Moral of the story: Learn to handle difficult feelings and solve problems.

Keywords:  Resilience; Life skills; Adjustment

Mr Huff by Anna Walker

Bill is having a bad day. Mr Huff is following him around and making everything seem difficult. It starts with feelings of grumpiness, not wanting to join in and upsetting his friends.  Mr Huff just gets bigger and bigger and the feelings become debilitating, rendering Bill unable to complete his schoolwork and becoming disruptive in class. Unable to understand these feelings, Bill continues to try to get rid of Mr Huff, but he just keeps getting bigger and bigger until he’s bigger than Bill!  Then they both stop, and a surprising thing happens…

Moral of the story: Understand what is causing the emotions and how deal them more effectively

Keywords:  Resilience; Anxiety in children; Emotional Intelligence; Dealing with a bad day

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

Small children sometimes have trouble dealing with their mistakes, whether it's a piece of artwork they've torn by accident, or juice they've spilled on their favorite drawing. In this book, every page begins with a 'mistake' that ultimately unravels, lifts out, or pulls up to become a surprising work of beauty. Kids see firsthand as they go through the book that any smudge, smear or stain can lead to something absolutely marvelous - with a little imagination.

Moral of the story: Every action we might think of as a mistake can lead to unexpected and wonderful results. Useful for allowing children to think laterally and consider new possibilities.

Keywords:  Resilience; Creativity; Growth mindset

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett

Beatrice Bottomwell has NEVER (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, the entire town calls her The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes! One day, the inevitable happens: Beatrice makes a huge mistake in front of everyone! But in the end, readers (and perfectionists) will realize that life is more fun when you enjoy everything-even the mistakes.

Moral of the story: Explore fear of failure, learning from mistakes, resilience and not avoiding the unknown.

Keywords:  Resilience; Growth mindset; Self-perception; Perfectionists; Mistakes