Hello parents and educators!

I wanted to share a project that is especially close to my heart. Many of you might know my picture book Words, which explores how the language we use impacts others. With my book The Sack, I wanted to turn that conversation inward to focus on something just as important: our internal self-talk and the quiet messages we carry every day.

As teachers, we see firsthand how heavily self-doubt, fear, and worry can weigh on our students. In The Sack, the main character ‘e’ carries a literal sack that gets heavier with every negative thought. My hope in writing this was to give young learners a simple, visual way to understand mental load—and more importantly, to show them that they have the power to unpack those heavy feelings and reframe them into positive, empowering thoughts.

If you’re looking for ways to bring this SEL concept into your classroom, here are two simple To help bring these SEL concepts to life, I’ve put together a comprehensive Teacher Resource Guide. Here are just two examples of the classroom activities you’ll find inside:

• “Unpack Your Sack” Circle Time: Students write a worry or negative self-talk phrase on a slip of paper, place it in a physical sack, and practice reframing those statements into growth-mindset affirmations together.
• Heavy vs. Soar Thoughts Anchor Chart: Draw a heavy sack on one side of a chart paper and balloons/wings on the other. Work as a class to sort everyday student statements (e.g., “I can’t do this” vs. “I’m still learning how to do this”).

To download a free Teacher/Parent Resource Guide to accompany The Sack visit HERE.

I hope this story and the accompanying resources serve as a gentle, helpful tool in your classrooms. I’d love to hear—how do you help your students navigate negative self-talk and building positive inner dialogue?

Lora