A mood-boosting picture book that combines creative storytelling with writing prompts to help young readers reframe their thoughts and rewrite their negative self-talk!

Whenever something goes wrong for Vanessa, her mind goes immediately to the worst possible outcome or scenario. When she’s not invited to a sleepover, she convinces herself no one likes her. After saying the wrong answer in class, she calls herself dumb. When her homework piles up, she just knows the situation is hopeless.

Vanessa turns every misstep, mess, and mistake, no matter how minor, into a big worry or huge catastrophe. She gets herself stuck in negative thinking traps, and it fuels her feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, sadness, and anger.

As her emotions get messier and her attitude more sour, a mysterious and fascinating thing happens. A friendly face appears on Vanessa’s purple polka dot pencil, and it starts talking! The pencil, named Astoria, wants to help rewrite the yucky stories and distorted thoughts Vanessa keeps telling herself.

With encouragement, patience, and lots of practice, Astoria shows Vanessa how to turn negative self-talk into positive thoughts and ideas. Along the way, Vanessa discovers that when she does rewrite her inner stories, it makes her feel safer, more confident, and more loved.

My Story by Vanessa & Me teaches young readers how to find a more balanced perspective, think more positively, and be more self-aware. Interactive prompts throughout the story help readers practice how to avoid and escape negative thinking traps. A special page written specifically for parents, counselors, and educators offers strategies to help children overcome negative thinking and be more emotionally resilient.