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Grades K-7Perseverance & Resilience

Resilience & Courage

Stories of perseverance, grit, and finding strength in the face of challenges — from everyday struggles to extraordinary journeys.

Targeted Learning Goal

Students will identify how characters overcome adversity, develop resilience strategies, and apply them to their own lives.

Standards Connections

  • ELA: RL.K-7.1 — Ask and answer questions about key details in the text
  • ELA: RL.K-7.3 — Describe characters, settings, and events with detail
  • ELA: RL.2-7.6 — Acknowledge differences in characters' points of view
  • ELA: SL.K-7.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about resilience
  • ELA: W.K-7.3 — Write narratives recounting how a character overcame a challenge
  • SEL: Self-Management — Set and work toward personal goals
  • SEL: Responsible Decision-Making — Analyze how characters make choices under pressure

Books in This Unit

23 titles — each with a full lesson plan.

Cover of Creaky Acres

Resilience & Courage

Creaky Acres

by Calista Brill and Nilah Magruder

4 learning goals · 45–50 minutes

Cover of Speed Reader

Resilience & Courage

Speed Reader

by Matthew Cody

4 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of Chicken Pox

Resilience & Courage

Chicken Pox

by Remy Lai

4 learning goals · 45–50 minutes

Cover of Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice

Resilience & Courage

Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice

by Kari Lavelle

4 learning goals · 45–50 minutes

Cover of The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

Innovation & Perseverance

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

by Natascha Biebow

3 learning goals · 30 minutes

Cover of Sol Goes for Goal!

Resilience & Courage

Sol Goes for Goal!

by Julio Anta and Gabi Mendez

4 learning goals · 45–50 minutes

Cover of The League of Littles

Resilience & Courage

The League of Littles

by Casey Lyall

4 learning goals · 50 minutes, following an initial reading of the book

Cover of A Balloon for Isabel

Problem Solving

A Balloon for Isabel

by Deborah Underwood

3 learning goals · 40 minutes

Cover of Howliday Inn: Bunnicula the Graphic Novels #2

Resilience & Courage

Howliday Inn: Bunnicula the Graphic Novels #2

by James Howe and Andrew Donkin

4 learning goals · 60 minutes

Cover of Stella Diaz Never Gives Up

Perseverance & Environmental Awareness

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up

by Angela Dominguez

4 learning goals · 60 minutes

Cover of I Quit!

Resilience & Courage

I Quit!

by Kristen Tracy

4 learning goals · 35–40 minutes

Cover of Cézanne's Parrot

Perseverance & Perspective

Cézanne's Parrot

by Amy Guglielmo

3 learning goals · 30 minutes

Cover of Dream Big

Resilience & Courage

Dream Big

by Shannon Hale

5 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of Be Strong

Resilience & Courage

Be Strong

by Pat Zietlow Miller

4 learning goals · 40–45 minutes

Cover of Lucy! How Lucille Ball Did It All

Perseverance & Humor

Lucy! How Lucille Ball Did It All

by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville

3 learning goals · 30 minutes

Cover of Fox Has a Problem

Problem-Solving & Persistence

Fox Has a Problem

by Corey R. Tabor

3 learning goals · 30 minutes

Cover of Mixed-Up

Resilience & Courage

Mixed-Up

by Kami Garcia

4 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of Gabby Torres is the Best Winner Ever

Perseverance & Sportsmanship

Gabby Torres is the Best Winner Ever

by Angela Dominguez

4 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of Will's Race for Home

Perseverance & Belonging

Will's Race for Home

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

3 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of A Kid Like Me

Resilience & Courage

A Kid Like Me

by Norm Feuti

4 learning goals · 60 minutes, following a prior reading of the book or selected excerpts

Cover of Amulet: The Cloud Searchers

Resilience & Courage

Amulet: The Cloud Searchers

by Kazu Kibuishi

4 learning goals · 50 minutes

Cover of Amulet: The Stonekeeper's Curse

Resilience & Courage

Amulet: The Stonekeeper's Curse

by Kazu Kibuishi

4 learning goals · 45 minutes

Cover of I Am a Good Dog

Resilience & Courage

I Am a Good Dog

by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko

4 learning goals · 50 minutes, following reading