By Michele Ebersole and Avis Masuda, University of Hawaii at Hilo

A proverb, or a noteworthy saying, is often used to teach important lessons and can help children connect to human experiences in simple, yet profound ways. This WOW Dozen is centered around the Japanese proverb, “Fall down seven times, get up eight”, another way to convey the message “never give up”. This theme of hard work, perseverance or persistence is reflected through different means – whether overcoming small challenges, dealing with human relationships, standing up for oneself to make a significant change in laws to fight for the rights of others, inventing something new that builds confidence or creating an innovation that makes a big impact in the world. This blog post introduces biographies of meaningful people who have overcome big challenges as well as fictional stories that are fun and whimsical. Reading aloud these books may inspire children to see themselves as capable and resilient beings in the world.

WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen. Use the printer icon in the upper left corner of this post to print or save this list as a PDF.​

array(12) {
  ["_edit_lock"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(14) "1730139569:264"
  }
  ["_edit_last"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(3) "264"
  }
  ["_thumbnail_id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "42094"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_content_score"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(2) "30"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_primary_category"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(4) "5239"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(70) "https://wowlit.org/wp-content/media/Sumo-Kitty-by-David-Biedrzycki.jpg"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "46008"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(64) "https://wowlit.org/wp-content/media/Built-to-Last-by-Minh-Le.jpg"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(5) "46001"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_focuskw"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(21) "Fall Down Seven Times"
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_metadesc"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(146) "This month, Michele and Avis present a dozen books around the theme "Fall down seven times, stand up eight" to encourage readers to never give up."
  }
  ["_yoast_wpseo_linkdex"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(2) "82"
  }
}

• Themes: Allan Drummond, Andrea Wang, Avis Masuda, Built to Last, Butterfly for a King, Cheryl Kim, Chris Sasaki, Cindy Trumbore, Dan Santat, David Biedrzycki, David Del Rocco, Debi Michiko Florence, Elise Hurst, Fall Down Seven Times Stand Up Eight, Fanny Liem, Hawai'i's Champion for Women's Rights, Jamie Michalak, Jen Bryant, Julie Abery, Kana Urbanowicz, Kobi Yamada, Magic Ramen, Michele Ebersole, Minh Le, Nat Iwata, Niki Nakayama: A Cheg's Take in 13 Bites, Sakamoto's Swim Club, Storm Kano, Sumo Kitty, Susan Roth, Sylvia Chen, Toshiki Nakamura, Tricky Chopsticks, Trying, Wat Takes His Shot, Yuko Jones, Zero Waste
• Descriptors: WOW Dozen