As we explore Rosa’s code we see how children can develop skills to help them empathise with the characters they read and write about in stories.

Developing a capacity to empathise with those we meet in stories is a skill that is useful for children to use in their own writing and beyond. Rosa’s code looks at some complicated issues but, on the surface, it’s just a story about a girl trying to fit in. Of course, if you actually are a girl trying to fit in you will immediately feel empathy with Rosa and have a better understanding about why she does the things she does in the story. If however you are a popular boy that loves team sports, or a girl that has never had a problem fitting in, then it’s more difficult to understand Rosa’s motivation, and of course the same can be said for any of the other characters in the story. Looking at events through someone else’s eyes and thinking about how the character might feel, and what their motivation is opposed to just looking at their behaviour, is a skill that can be learned.