Brave Child

Once by Morris Gleitzman follows a ten year old Jewish boy who lives in Poland during the Second World War. Throughout the course of the novel, Felix develops important trait that help him overcome obstacles he encounters. By facing challenging obstacles, his character is pushed to the limit. His resilience is shown through his unwillingness to surrender. His possess an ability to see the silver lining in tough situations and is able to react to them in a courageous manner.

Resilience in the ability to bounce back and recover from difficulties. Felix's resilience plays an enormous role throughout the book. Many times in the novel, he displays resilience, for example, when he was told that his parents were most likely dead he continued, instead of giving up and losing all hope. Another illustration of Felix's resilience is when Felix finds Zelda and has to carry her on her back even though he has already been walking for days and is feeling very sore."I can't give anyone else a piggyback. I can't even lift Zelda, the way I feel now.". Another moment in the book that highlights Felix's resilience is when Zelda and Felix are walking to the city which takes a couple of days. They are both very tired but Felix tells stories to Zelda to keep her entertained.

Optimism is one of Felix's strongest attributes. He can always find the good in a bad situation. Felix sees many people get killed but never stops believing that his parents are still alive. Quite often in the novel, something bad happens to him like when a soldier shots at him. "It must have been an accident. The bounce of the truck must have made the gun go off."

Felix characterises bravery from the very start of the novel, until the very end. Leaving the orphanage to go and find his parents on his own is a perfect example. Towards the end of the book, Zelda and Barney have the option to not go onto the trains that lead to the concentration camps but Barney is hesitant because of all the children. Felix steps up and says that he will take care of them by himself." Go with Zelda... I'll look after the others.". This is extremely brave considering he is ten and with all the nazis everywhere, taking care of five children would have been virtually impossible.