By Lori Stevic-Rust, Ph.D.
LILY’S RED SHOES OF COURAGE
You, too, can have red shoes of courage. All you need to do is believe. The kitchen table at Nana Emily’s house is the place where Lily feels most at home. Every day after school, she and Nana Emily bake, laugh, and talk about all kinds of things. When Lily tells her grandmother that she did something she’s not proud of, Nana Emily encourages her to share. Lily feels terrible because when some mean girls at school made fun of Aleeza’s head scarf, Lily joined in on the laughing and hurt Aleeza’s feelings. Nana Emily tells Lily that we all make mistakes, but it’s how we fix our mistakes that makes us who we are. Then Nana Emily gives Lily something that will change her life forever: a beautiful pair of red shoes with the word Courage emblazoned on them in gold letters. Nana Emily tells Lily that her new red shoes will give her the courage to do the right thing, even when it is hard. But she must believe in her own power to do so. Will Lily be brave enough to apologize to Aleeza and also stand up to the other girls at school?
“I recommend this excellent book about children’s issues with bullying to my fellow child psychologists. The content is relevant as children from immigrant families and children with disabilities struggle to make friends and fit in to their classrooms. The perspectives of the victim, the silent bystander and the bully are addressed by sweet Nana Emily who teaches the girls how to find their courage to stand up for themselves in a positive way. An inspiring, well written, and practical book for teachers, parents and counselors to read to their young audience.”
“As a grandparent and an educator, the importance of respect and getting along with others is vital to healthy learning as well as future workplace success. The sooner we begin these discussions, the better. “Lily’s Red Shoes of Courage” is a realistic, relatable story. What makes this stand out from other anti-bullying books, is the solution- be proactive- be an “Upstander”. To help make the story even more meaningful for my granddaughters, after we reading the book, we went outside to play. I hid 2 pairs of official Red Shoes of Courage, that my granddaughters ‘found’. Now they can read the book, talk the talk and walk the walk.”