JOSHWAY’s next children’s book is built around a simple idea with real weight behind it: kids are often stronger than they know, but sometimes they need help seeing it.
The Easton-based organization will launch its second book, JOSHWAY and the Courage to Rise, on May 14 at Edge Restaurant in Bethlehem. Co-authored by advisory board member Glenn C. Breslauer and Melody Bradford, with illustrations by Maggie Isamoyer, the book continues JOSHWAY’s mission of helping young people build confidence, identity, and resilience through practical, competency-based learning.
The story centers on a child named Cacie, who is trying to make sense of life between two homes while carrying feelings of confusion, isolation, and uncertainty. Rather than smoothing over those emotions, the book leans into them and offers children a way through.
Breslauer said that approach is central to JOSHWAY’s work.
“JOSHWAY has always been about helping young people realize something simple but powerful… they are not missing anything,” he said. “The confidence they’re searching for, the identity they’re trying to understand, and the resilience they need to move forward already exists within them.”
That idea shapes the new book, which is meant to show children how to navigate hard moments without pretending those moments are easy.
“It gives children a moment to see themselves in a story where things feel uncertain, and then shows them, step by step, how to navigate that uncertainty,” Breslauer said. “Not by becoming someone new, but by learning how to access what’s already inside them.”
The choice to tell a story about emotional disorientation and living between two homes was deliberate. Breslauer said more children are navigating complicated family situations, shifting routines, and emotions that can be difficult to name.
“These aren’t rare experiences anymore,” he said. “They’re part of everyday life for many families.”
Like JOSHWAY’s broader programming in digital wellness, life skills, and youth leadership, the book is designed to give kids practical tools, not just encouragement.
“One of the biggest gaps we see is that kids are often told to ‘be strong’ or ‘stay positive,’ but they’re rarely shown how,” Breslauer said. “So when a child reads the story, they’re not just being inspired… they’re being equipped.”
That approach grew out of the response to JOSHWAY’s first book, JOSHWAY and the Power of Resilience, which showed the team that children were not only connecting with the stories, but using their language and ideas in everyday life.
“What we took from that was the importance of going deeper,” Breslauer said. “With this second book, we leaned further into emotional complexity while still keeping the message simple and accessible.”
JOSHWAY and the Courage to Rise will be officially launched on May 14 at Edge Restaurant in Bethlehem.
Get more information at https://shop.joshway.org/JOSHWAY-Books_c_21.html
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