Natov pulls from a variety of children's and young adult books, including Dahl's Matilda, Myers' Monster, and Selznick's The Inventions of Hugo Cabret, to explore how diversity and difference, trauma, empathy, politics, and identity in literature can encourage young readers to engage with experiences both similar to and different from their own.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

[A]ttractive and enjoyable both for professional and non-professional readers.

International Research in Children's Literature

Roni Natov's The Courage to Imagine: The Child Hero in Children's Literature is a splendid study of the vital role imagination plays in contemporary international children's literature. Given the vast socio-political changes in childhood that often create anxiety and ambiguity, Natov argues that children need a serious literature that will encourage them to become self-reliant and hopeful. It is from the imaginative stories of such authors as David Almond, Julius Lester, Louise Erdrich, Walter Dean Myers, Kate DiCamillo and such illustrators as Shaun Tan, Brian Selznick, and Peter Sis that Natov points to alternative ways about heroic action that can serve as models for young readers. Her book is an engaging defense of the potential of the imagination to transform the lives of children.

Jack Zipes, Professor, University of Minnesota, USA

An illuminating look at how children's literature emboldens children to imagine, and thereby to embrace complexity, diversity, and challenge. A timely account of how and why children's books matter, recommended for specialists and nonspecialists alike.

Kenneth Kidd, Professor of English, University of Florida, USA

The Courage to Imagine takes an original focus on children's creativity as it is reflected in books for the young. It offers a unique blend of literary analysis with personal stories and touches of creative writing. The entire book breathes a love of children, art and literature and shows convincingly how creativity can give agency and hope to child characters and young readers.

Vanessa Joosen, Associate Professor of English Literature, University of Antwerp, Belgium