The best children’s books about bravery

All kids deal with fears and all parents and caregivers want to shield them from them. But I learned as a mom that I couldn’t shield my kids from hurts. But I could help them develop their own shield—by teaching them how to confront their fears and equipping them with the tools they needed to deal with the inevitable stressors they would encounter in life. My older son, practical and scientific, would have loved this book! In this uplifting, rhyming story, Christina Furnival, a licensed mental health therapist and mom, presents a practical three-step lesson to help kids manage their worries, regain their cool, and strip fear of its power once and for all. I sure wish I had this book 30 years ago!

I love this book because although it was written before the pandemic, it hits home about being stuck inside—in this case, by choice! The first line is, “Logan was a stay-at-home bunny.” I’m a sucker for bunnies and the friends in this book—Logan and Luna—actually display personalities similar to that of my sons! One of my sons is daring and brave; the other, shy and unadventurous. This story shows that we may think that we are not brave at all, but when we dig deep down, we can all find our brave. Sometimes just a little bit of bravery is enough. The good news is we are all braver than we think!

Sometimes when my kids were anxious or scared I would try to use humor to help and distract them. (Sometimes it worked and sometimes they thought I was “lame.”) I’m glad author Katie Weaver took a humorous approach in this fun book! What better way to quell fears than to imagine something not-so-scary? She thought up this story as she and her kids snuggled through a thunderstorm. The gentle and subtle message within the story is: when you face your fear, you often realize it wasn't as scary as you imagined, perhaps, even fun! And, sometimes, there can even be a rewarding outcome. In this case, pie! The author includes a berry pie recipe in the back that looks delicious. I’d try it, but I’m a terrible pie-maker!

This book speaks to me because I remember my own boys doing their first jumps from the high dive! I love that Jabari starts out with bravado, but we learn it’s just a false sense of confidence about making his first jump. Like many of us, he’s trying to convince himself he’s ready! In the gentlest way, this story says so much—that sometimes you think you’re ready for something, but maybe you need a minute. That preparing can help. That a cheerleader really helps! And that we all have to be brave in our own way, and in our own time! But oh, the wondrous feeling we humans get when we conquer fear. There’s nothing quite like it!

Some books are pretty straightforward: this is one of them. I like it because it covers a lot of ground and includes lots of diverse kids. Sometimes you want a sweet story, and sometimes you want something more practical. I love that this book gives concrete examples about being brave, strong, and resilient. My son has autism, and when he was small he preferred concept books to stories. This would have been perfect for him—as he took things very literally. It’s a best-seller and comes in a Spanish version.