FINDING COURAGE

A girl helps her father to move on from an accident in Pattison’s picture book.

Red-haired, white-skinned Liana is living in a tight-knit neighborhood with her parents when her dad suffers a serious accident while riding his bike. Afterward, he’s unable to walk and falls into a deep sadness. Mr. West from the local sports store asks Liana how her dad is doing one day, to which she replies, “He wants to walk, but he won’t try.” Mr. West suggests Papa has “lost his courage,” which he defines as “being blind to everything but the next step.” Liana then traverses her town, speaking to friends like Mrs. Li at the restaurant and dog-owner Mr. Jack-Jack, asking each person what courage means to them. Inspired by their answers, Liana sets out to stir hope in Papa’s mind and joy in his heart, aided by a puppy named Courage. This nuanced story sensitively explores what a child can do to support an injured caregiver who’s struggling with a new reality. Pattison conveys this difficult topic in a child-friendly way that shows how a community can come together to inspire improvement. Wajda’s illustrations are full of light, using subtly increasing amounts of confetti to reflect the gradual restructuring of Liana’s father’s thinking.

A thoughtful, beautifully illustrated story about supporting an ailing parent.