The goals of the Resilient Randy book series are:
• to introduce the skill of resilience to children,
• to give parents, guardians, and teachers a way to discuss resilience with children and,
• to model how resilience can be developed.
Many people think resilience is a trait some people are born with, and others are not. However, resilience is a skill—and like all skills, it can be taught.
As a visual arts educator, I spent the last 25 years interacting with children of all ages. I used visual arts to help them develop critical thinking skills and the myriad other skills required to engage in the creative process. But it wasn’t until teaching remotely for two years during the Covid pandemic of the early 2020s that I developed an appreciation for how important resilience is for all people to be successful. I came to believe that resilience is among the most important skills needed in an increasingly complex world. Many other people, with far more research capabilities than I, have supported my belief.
In August 2019, our family adopted Randy, a rescue dog from Mexico. His life had already not been an easy one and we didn’t know he had more challenges ahead. As we fell in love with his remarkable spirit, and witnessed how he overcame challenges, we realized he was resilience personified. He constantly amazed us and all he met with his ability to succeed and maintain a sweet disposition despite his challenges. When I retired from teaching in 2021, I was encouraged to use Randy’s adventures as a way of making the skill of resilience accessible to children and adults.
Each of the Randy books will include resource material on resilience. The first book in the series, Resilient Randy Finds His Home, introduces the general concept of resilience. The second book, Resilient Randy Loses His Vision, addresses ways to build resilience during a medical challenge. The subsequent books will show Randy navigating different experiences like going camping or having a sleepover that can be ways to build resilience in children.
Throughout the Resilient Randy books, Randy identifies his feelings and then refers to one of the key conditions (having a trusted adult/human in his life, realizing that learning can be frustrating, maintaining hope, etc.) that helps build resilience. This repeated pattern models a way for children and adults to become more resilient. I hope by reading Randy’s journeys you can see ways to be resilient in your own life and help the children around you build the same skill.