Teaching your children resilience for hard times? These kids' books are all about it

By Jen Rose Smith, CNN

Updated 0819 GMT (1619 HKT) July 13, 2020

Here's a roundup of books that explore the resilience of children and youth who have lived, grown and even thrived through great hardship. "Love Twelve Miles Long" by Glenda Armand is a fictional account of the lives of a young Frederick Douglass and his mother in 1820s Maryland.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
Children's books that teach resilience – Here's a roundup of books that explore the resilience of children and youth who have lived, grown and even thrived through great hardship. "Love Twelve Miles Long" by Glenda Armand is a fictional account of the lives of a young Frederick Douglass and his mother in 1820s Maryland.
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"The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate explores the theme of empathy through the eyes of a gorilla held captive in a shopping mall.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate explores the theme of empathy through the eyes of a gorilla held captive in a shopping mall.
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"Kenta and the Big" Wave by Ruth Ohi is the story of a boy who faces disaster, based on true events amid the 2011 tsunami that hit coastal Japan.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"Kenta and the Big" Wave by Ruth Ohi is the story of a boy who faces disaster, based on true events amid the 2011 tsunami that hit coastal Japan.
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Set in the Great Depression, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor takes a look at the Logan family's strong relationships, which offer strength and a safe haven from Jim Crow-era racism.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
Set in the Great Depression, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor takes a look at the Logan family's strong relationships, which offer strength and a safe haven from Jim Crow-era racism.
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"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" features the journal entries of a 13-year-old Jewish girl in hiding with her family amid the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" features the journal entries of a 13-year-old Jewish girl in hiding with her family amid the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
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In "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell, 12-year-old Karana learns to fend for herself while coping with loneliness, surviving alone on a coastal island.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
In "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell, 12-year-old Karana learns to fend for herself while coping with loneliness, surviving alone on a coastal island.
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"Home of the Brave" by Kathering Applegate follows young Kek's transition from Sudan to life as a new immigrant in Minnesota.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"Home of the Brave" by Kathering Applegate follows young Kek's transition from Sudan to life as a new immigrant in Minnesota.
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"Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse depicts fighting spirit of 14-year-old Billie Jo amid the terrible toll of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl on his farming community.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse depicts fighting spirit of 14-year-old Billie Jo amid the terrible toll of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl on his farming community.
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"Last Train from Kummersdorf" by Leslie Wilson is a fictional tale of two 14-year-olds trying to survive the aftermath of the Second World War.
Photos: Children's books that teach resilience
"Last Train from Kummersdorf" by Leslie Wilson is a fictional tale of two 14-year-olds trying to survive the aftermath of the Second World War.
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