When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how tthey are devalued in the society of which they are a part. Our classrooms need to be places where all the children from all the cultures that make up the salad bowl of American society can find their mirrors.“ (Bishop) After reading Bishop's article I was inspired to create a book that would be relevant to children of the United States Military.

There can always be more literature in the classroom and while there is children's literature relating to the military, there can be more. The more literature the more likely children will find themselves in books. These books help to strengthen a support system. In an article about helping children deal with deployment, Allen suggests to read children's books that depict military families. Developing close ties to family and community creates a solid sense of security that helps lead to strong values and prevents alternative destructive paths to love and attention'' By creating a support through multiple aspects, including literature, resilience can be built in young children. “One of the cardinal findings resilience research is that those who lacked strong family support systems growing up sought and received help from others-- a teacher, a neighbor, the parents of peers or, eventually, a spouse. They were not afraid to talk about the hard times they were having to someone who cared for their well-being."(Marino) My goal as a teacher is to build up resilient students and to support them and help them grow in whatever way I can. By acknowledging life as it is on a military base through literature and providing that literature in my classroom, resilience can be built.

“Resilient people don't walk between the raindrops; they have scars to show for their experience. They struggle-but keep functioning anyway. ” (Marano). I want my students and children everywhere to see that they have a place in this world, to acknowledge where they have been and where they can go.

The following is a children's book that is relevant particularly to young children who serve with the military and live on base. The book, “Life on a Military Base" depicts multiple aspects of living on a base. The following includes a description of the plan, process and outcome of creating the book as well as a pdf of the book which is available through Amazon publishing.