Children are bullied every day. Parents and teachers miss the opportunities to intervene because bullying is most often done in secret. Kids witness these injustices. When they see a friend or classmate hurting and don't know what to do about it, they hurt too. The Bravest Hearts is for these children. The adorable characters in this story learn to practice bravery and stand up for their friends. Their teacher, Miss Work, leads her students to understand how to become brave, and she encourages them to use their hearts to help their friends. Following a math lesson where Miss Work teaches her students about equality, the students witness bullying for the third time. They realize that, together, they can stand up to the hurtful words of the bully. They learn that they will put more good into the world if they work together. An important book for every third through fifth grade student.

After being an elementary school principal for six years and addressing bullies with restorative justice practices, Jayne Sbarboro learned that the most important effort is always to first RESTORE THE CHILD who has been hurt. This was the subject of her first book, "The Truest Heart." The second most important thing is to teach children how to stand up for each other when an adult isn't nearby. Using story writing to empower children, especially those who have been targeted by bullying, she chooses to focus exclusively on the importance of using strength-based practices to increase children's resilience. In "The Bravest Hearts--A Story to Empower Our Friends," which is the sequel to the Truest Heart, she shows students how to work together to overcome bullying. She also co-authored "Miss Work's Truest Heart Companion: An Anti-bullying Guide" with her niece, Francesca Sbarboro, who is the model for Miss Work these books. Jayne chose to make Miss Work African American because she believes we need more African-American teachers.