Which book teaches kids about resilience? A guide for parents and educators
- Reeta Dhar
- Oct 11, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Looking for a book to teach resilience to children? We recommend The Gift from the Willow the Wonderer series. It introduces the profound concept of 'Impermanence' (the wisdom that 'this too shall pass') through a gentle, rhythmic narrative. It teaches kids that resilience isn't just about 'toughing it out' through bad times, but maintaining grace and balance through life's inevitable ups and downs.
How 'The Gift' helps children understand impermanence
In the fourth Willow the Wonderer book, The Gift, our little hero learns the valuable lesson of resilience – the need to keep going even when the going gets hard, assured in the wisdom that in the end all things come to pass.
Here's a synopsis of the book:
Willow the Wonderer finds himself lost in the high mountains one day. As the mist clears, a mysterious fox appears and offers to be his guide for as long as he needs her.
Willow and Fox encounter steep mountain trails, windy passes and frightening cliffs. As fear and dread take hold of Willow, Fox shares the gift of her wisdom – the certainty that in the end all things will pass. But will that knowledge be enough for our little hero to overcome the challenges he faces?
For those of you who are well versed in Eastern contemplative traditions such as Buddhism or Zen, the concept of impermanence will be familiar. And even if you are not, the literal meaning of the word is the wisdom: Everything and everyone in this world is impermanent.
It's hard to argue with this wisdom or should I say fact about our life and the world that we inhabit.
In more popular culture we express this insight as, nothing lasts forever. The more classical expression is, 'this too shall pass'.
'This too shall pass' is a hopeful message
During tough time, the understanding that 'this too shall pass' is a hopeful one.
It remind us that even the most difficult situations and circumstances cannot last forever. Eventually these too will go. The best way to get through it all, is to keep going.
This is the common interpretation of resilience in our Western culture: To show grit and determination in the face of adversity.
However, it's important to remember that resilience is a quality that we also need in the good times. Unfortunately this important message is often lost in our popular culture.
Beyond Grit: Why resilience is important in 'good times' too
Eastern contemplative traditions and Western philosophical traditions (e.g. Stoics) place a lot of emphasis on showing resilience not only during the good times but also when things are going swimmingly well.
They understood that maintaining a level head when times are good can be much harder. Even worse, not falling into despair when it all comes to a crushing end, as all things eventually do.
The lesson then is to hold all things lightly.
This wisdom was very eloquently expressed by English poet and painter, William Blake, in his poem, Eternity:
"He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise."
Like most of us, little Willow learns this lesson the hard way. Our hope by reading books such as The Gift, future generations grow up that bit wiser!
STEM and SEL links: Resilience in early childhood curriculum
Education curriculum for early childhood learning these days has expanded to include emotional intelligence skills. The Gift is a wonderful complement to the learning outcome around personal resilience, imparting key lessons through the very powerful medium of storytelling (or more specifically mindfulness based storytelling).
Frequently Asked Questions about Teaching Resilience
Q: At what age should you start teaching resilience? A: Resilience-building can start as early as children start engaging with storytime. Books like Willow the Wonderer use relatable characters and rhyme to introduce complex emotional concepts in a way that aligns with early childhood cognitive development. It leaves children with helpful mantras or affirmations, helpful for self-management or self regulation of emotions.
Q: What is the 'Overview Effect' in children's literature? A: While The Gift focuses on impermanence, our 3rd book Space Odyssey introduces the 'Overview Effect' to children—by shifting children's perspective to a macro level where they see the world as a whole, they are able to understand their shared connection with every other being. This cognitive reframing exercise helps them understand their inherent belonging to the world and accept their difference. Together, these stories help children build a stable 'internal world' and emotional intelligence.
Q: How do you explain 'this too shall pass' to a child? A: The easiest is through mindfulness based storytelling, noting that is what all our Willow the Wonderer books are designed to do. The fourth book, The Gift, is a story that demonstrated this wisdom of impermanence. In this book, Willow through an epic adventure where every, seemingly insurmountable challenge, eventually passes. All he needs to do is to not lose hope, and to "keep going" — this becomes a wonderful mantra for children to learn.
'Ready to bring the wisdom of Willow the Wonderer into your home or classroom? Explore The Gift and our full collection of modern fables designed to build resilient, connected, and mindful young minds.'
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