An investigation into the elements of resilience that children identify from reading the book Game ON

Mental health is considered one of Australia’s national health priority areas. Some of the factors and attributes that influence mental health and wellbeing have been identified within the resilience literature. This thesis presents an evaluation of the resilience literature and an appraisal of a resilience resource Game ON. Game ON, the first book designed in the ‘Dusty and Friends’ series, targets children aged 4–7 with the aim to educate, facilitate and embed the skills of resilience as part of an early intervention and prevention approach. Using storytelling, Game ON provides examples of behaviours that impede and facilitate the development of resilience, allowing children to observe and recognise both types of behaviour through the characters. Game ON demonstrates attributes such as conflict resolution, reflection, decision making, critical thinking and empathy.