“For there is always light,
If only we are brave enough to see it,
If only we are brave enough to be it.”~Amanda Gorman
Weeks ago, we planned for this newsletter to center on courage. With a year marked by family separation, xenophobia, transphobia, mass layoffs, and more, we knew it would take strength and resilience to walk through school doors this fall.
Then came the trauma of the school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. As unfair, painful, and heartbreaking as it is, our students, families, and educators must draw on immense courage to begin this school year.
This newsletter doesn’t hold all the answers. But when you’re ready, we hope its resources help you nurture courage: to create classrooms where every child belongs, schools where young people speak out against injustice, and communities where hope rises above despair.
Courage is how we meet the world as it is and how we transform it into something more just, empathetic, and full of belonging.
A Bowl Full of Peace. Stars of the Night. Shoham’s Bangle. The Tops of the Trees.
Each of these picture book titles in the AmazeWorks Courageous Children book set contains what author Caren Stelson identifies as an “emotional golden thread”: an object or symbol that unlocks a story, bringing historical events down to a human level. The golden thread opens a window into someone’s experience, no matter how different it is from our own.
Caren Stelson is the author of two picture books in the Courageous Children book set: A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story and Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport, which gives the book set its name. Caren believes storytelling is the most powerful way to nurture empathy and inspire the courage we need to build a more peaceful world.
AmazeWorks partnered with Lerner Publishing Group to create Courageous Children, a book set featuring six powerful stories and accompanying lessons about children exhibiting enormous courage.
This collection of books asks children to think about how they want to show up in the world while providing positive representation of Jewish (Czech and Iraqi), Black/African American, Hmong, Japanese, and refugee identities, as well as those experiencing poverty and war. The books highlight connection, community, and belonging, rooted in real events or people.
There are some things in life so precious they can never be destroyed. In this book, we learn about the bomb that struck Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, and the courage of Sachiko and her family. When they returned to the rubble where their home once stood, her father miraculously found their serving bowl fully intact.
This delicate, green, leaf-shaped bowl, which once held their daily meals, holds memories of the past and serves as a vessel of hope, peace, and new traditions for Sachiko and the surviving members of her family.
As we continue to process grief, one way to move forward is by helping children recognize and cultivate courage. This activity comes from the AmazeWorks Stars of the Night lesson and can be adapted for children of all ages.
AmazeWorks was overjoyed to sponsor of Alphabet Forest this Minnesota State Fair season! Thank you to all the AMAZE-ing authors who led activities, families who paid us a visit, and children who channeled courage during fun and challenging alphabet activities.
We can’t wait for next year! 🌟
Students Demand Action is calling for Nationwide Student Walkouts in response to the Annunciation Catholic School Shooting on Friday, September 5th at 12:00 PM (local time). Here is a toolkit to help students prepare, register, and organize a walkout at their school. They help navigate conversations with school administration, publicize the event, know your rights, and more.
AmazeWorks Persona Dolls are on sale! For the rest of 2025, you can bring Persona Dolls into your classroom for only $275—that’s $25 less than full price!
Persona Dolls can transform your classroom, strengthening social-emotional learning skills and nurturing empathy. Shop the dolls today!
The newest Persona Doll book set is here! This set highlights parts of Amara the Persona Doll’s story, providing additional, positive representation of her identities and experiences. Topics included are:
AmazeWorks is excited to exhibit at Shout Out Loud MN’s 6th Suicide Prevention Wellness Carnival! This event aims to normalize conversations about suicide prevention and teach coping skills to support children’s mental wellness. Join us for activities and games, interactive art, local resources, food trucks, and more! Here are the details: