Many children faced with bullying in school are victims—but the majority are silent witnesses. Children who witness bullying typically don’t speak up, either because they are afraid of becoming a target themselves, or because they feel like it isn’t their place to act. And many times, children who are bullied don’t realize that what is happening to them is wrong, because the kids they know and interact with don’t seem to be bothered by it—at least on the outside.
Because I’ve been bullied myself, and because one of my popular classmates stood up for me—which ended the bullying entirely—I can say with experience that speaking out can make all the difference. When peers stand up for each other, bullies usually back down—because deep inside, they want acceptance too. Things get a little better, a little brighter. In an effort to inspire today’s children to make the same heroic effort as my former classmate, I’ve written a book with a story and characters to which young girls can relate!
"Stella the Brave" is a story about a witness to bullying who is inspired by God’s Holy Word to stand up for what is right! Stella is a well-liked girl with a good heart, but she’s unhappy. She watches a girl in her class get bullied everyday, and it makes her feel uncomfortable. She would like to help, but she’s afraid to act. She doesn’t know what to do, until one day, when her mother reads her the biblical story of Esther. Esther was afraid to act too, but with God’s help, she stood up to save her people from Haman. Esther’s story inspires Stella to act bravely. But can she overcome her fear of becoming a target herself? Will God give her the courage she needs to do the right thing?
The Biblical story of Esther isn’t typically thought of as a story about bullying, but in fact it is! Esther was a Jewish girl in Persia who was advised by her cousin Mordecai to hide her ethnicity so she could become the new queen. Years later, one of the King’s advisers, Haman, put together a plan to get rid of the Jewish people in her country. Esther’s people were being bullied, but she was afraid to explain to the King why she and her family would be affected by Haman’s evil scheme. But Esther conquered her fear and ultimately stopped Haman. In many ways, she was in the same position as Stella—only the stakes were much higher!
Stella truly made a difference in my life, and if it weren’t for her act of courage, I might never have known how she and many of our classmates felt about the bullying I endured. The book will be an illustrated children’s story of about 32 pages, aimed at children 6-8 years old. The story is structured in three sections. In the first section, the characters and conflict are introduced, and we learn about Stella’s bullied classmate and her discomfort with it. In the second section, Stella’s mother reads her the Biblical story of Esther, and it parallels Stella’s situation in several ways. In the third section, Stella, inspired by the story, uses what she learned to resolve the conflict and stand up for her classmate in a non-confrontational way.
The target market for this book is young girls who will relate to Stella’s character, as well as parents who want to demonstrate to their children how Scripture is relevant for our lives today, as well as the value of standing up for what is right, even when it isn’t easy.
With the funds raised, I will pay an illustrator and publish an initial first run of the book. Who knows, maybe this is the first of a series of books aimed at young girls that explains how Biblical heroines can teach us important lessons that apply to our lives today!
Thanks,
-Rebecca