You Are Brave, Amy G.

A Children’s Book About Emotions, Courage, and the Brain

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A young girl with long brown hair, a pink headband, and a pink polka-dot shirt sits at a wooden desk, thinking while drawing or writing in a notebook. A purple backpack is on the floor beside her. The classroom has blue walls and two other empty wooden desks.

Children are encouraged to:

  • Identify emotions like happiness, worry, frustration, anger, excitement, and calm

  • Notice body signals such as tight muscles, fast breathing, or relaxed posture

  • Understand that everyone experiences emotions differently

  • Practice making brave, confident choices

Through Amy G.’s story, children learn that emotions are signals—not something to fear. This book supports kids as they notice how feelings show up in their thoughts, bodies, and actions.

Written by Executive Function Coach Jessica Hackmann, this book supports emotional awareness, self-regulation, and confidence-building in a developmentally appropriate way.

What Experts Are Saying

As a pediatrician and mother of a child with ADHD, I can not wait to share the story of Amy G.  An entertaining story about a young girl moving to a new school, it teaches children to manage their big emotions so they can be brave, just like Amy G.

-Jennifer L. Broome, MD, FAAP

You Are Brave, Amy G. successfully addresses some of the most difficult childhood experiences - anxiety and fears. Amy learns from her trusted grandfather (a professor) how to read the signs of anxiety and find ways to calm herself. This story is both charming and accurate—a hard combination to achieve! Jessica Hackmann created a character who is authentic and gives us hope that we can find ways to be brave in our own lives.  

— Paula Moraine, M.Ed., Author

Attention Fix Educational Consulting, LLC www.attentionfix.org

You are Brave Amy G. is a creative and age-appropriate story to help children understand how the different brain states affect our emotional regulation and decision making.  This book is a valuable resource to use in lessons, individual counseling, or groups by professionals who support the mental health of elementary students, as it reinforces important coping strategies such as mindfulness, belly breathing, grounding, and positive self-talk. 

— Lisa Ludwig, NCC, School Counselor

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Illustration of Amy G. in meditative pose

Jessica offers interactive author visits and school assemblies that bring You Are Brave, Amy G. to life. Students learn how their brains respond to stress, practice calming strategies, and build the language to talk about their feelings with the adults who support them.

Presentations can be tailored for individual classrooms, grade-level assemblies, staff professional development, literacy nights, and parent engagement events. Programs are designed for Pre-K through 5th grade.

Bulk orders are available for schools, counseling offices, and organizations interested in classroom sets or program-wide use.

Bring Amy G. to Your School or Organization

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Every child deserves tools to understand their emotions and feel brave being who they are.

A classroom scene with two young girls, one with red hair and a yellow shirt with blue overalls, smiling and reaching out to the other girl who has dark hair, a pink headband, and a pink and purple backpack. The second girl appears upset, sitting on the floor with crayons scattered around her. There is a chalkboard reading "Reading and writing exercise Chapter 1," a clock showing 2:09, and a plain wall with circular patterns in the background.

“This book describes the difficult emotions that children feel when their brains get overwhelmed in a way that everyone can understand, and makes it okay to feel this way.  It also highlights the positive impact just one friend, family member, or teacher can have by being compassionate and offering support. As I read, I saw all the "Amy G.'s" that I have met in my life, including my students and my own daughter.  Thank you, Jessica Hackmann, for showing children and adults that having big feelings is okay and providing strategies to help all of us cope!”

— Special Educator and Mom of a student with ADHD and Anxiety

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