About The Truest Heart and The Truest Heart Companion Book

The Truest Heart, a book to help children overcome bullying

The Truest Heart

Jayne Sbarboro wrote The Truest Heart because she saw the effects of bullying first hand. Sixteen years as a classroom teacher, time spent as an assistant principal (dealing with bullying on a daily basis), and another six years as an elementary school principal, Jayne watched the bullying process play out too many times. Too many students sat in her principal's office, in tears. And while she gave bullies consequences, bullying is often done undercover, out of sight of teacher or parent. She found that, more than anything, she wanted to give students a way to protect themselves. Every time she had a crying student in her office, she wanted to be able to give them a heart shield to defend themselves. The Truest Heart came from her desire to help students learn their strengths, and to use those strengths to protect themselves. Students need adult allies to help them identify their own strengths. And this is where the Companion book becomes an important tool.

Ze and The Truest Heart

Miss Work's Truest Heart Companion – An Anti-Bullying Guidebook

The Truest Heart Companion book is an interactive conversation held between a caring adult ally—a parent, a grandparent or teacher—with children to articulate their own special qualities helping them heal and grow stronger. It is created in a smaller coloring book format so that children intentionally copy important qualities and descriptions in their own handwriting. This process leads naturally to their repeating good confidence building messages in their own heads, while they write and color.

Jumping for joy!

It was a bully that hurt her and a teacher that helped her rebuild her strong heart.

This story invites you to learn how to help someone who has been hurt by helping them recognize those qualities that make them strong.