Cover of When You Are Brave
When You Are Brave
📚
Courage 1st & 2nd Grade

Book Guide

When You Are Brave

A story that explores courage and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families
This book teaches: Courage. doing what is right even when it is hard.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: Courage is being willing to face something hard or scary, like trying to do something you’ve never done before.  In a nutshell: Do good, try hard even when it’s scary.   Summary: “Some days when everything around you seems scary, you have to be brave.” On the first page of this book, a girl stands in an empty room, as her family prepares to move somewhere far away. Facing the unknown requires her to think about what it means to be brave. She discovers that she can close her eyes, breathe, and find the spark of courage inside of her. Lesson Objectives: 
  1. Students will remember this story and be empowered when they need to be brave. 
  2. The teacher will guide a discussion about common fears that children this age experience. 
  3.  Students will practice deep breathing while using their imaginations to access their own spark of bravery. 
    Guiding Questions: 
  1. On the first page, there is an empty room. If you didn't already know the story, would you guess that the girl's family is moving, or something else?
  2. How does she feel about the move? 
  3. What do you think she’ll be missing? 
  4. What are some other things she talks about that require her to be brave? 
  5. The light inside of her isn’t a real light - what do you think the light represents? 
  6. “Think about what you’re good at, something you love, or someone who loves you” - why do you think this helps her grow her courage?  
  7. When she arrived at her new home, she had a big smile on her face. What helped her turn her fears into hope and happiness? 
  8. What are you good at, what is something you love, and who is someone you love? After you answer these questions, how do you feel? 
  9. Have you ever moved with your family to a new place? What was it like for you? If you haven’t, share about what you imagine it would be like.
  10. Ask a family member to share about a time they had to move to a new place. 
 
🌿   Virtue Connection: Courage means acting on what is right even in the presence of fear.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

Read-aloud video · Best with headphones

Find this book at your library or bookstore →

Explore more guides for 1st & 2nd Grade.