The book series
Illustrated picture books built around emotions children actually have, written to be read together rather than read at.
Venture — Publishing
The Adventures of Lil’ Sass
An emotional wellness children’s book series and accessories, on a mission for adults and kids to have a healthier, happier, more resilient relationship with their emotions.
The idea
Every big feeling deserves a story.
Most children are taught, early and without anyone meaning to, that some feelings are acceptable and some are a problem. The problem ones get managed, distracted away or waited out. Decades later those same children become leaders who cannot sit in a difficult conversation without needing to resolve it.
The Adventures of Lil’ Sass exists to interrupt that, early. The books do not teach a child to calm down. They teach a child that the feeling is allowed, that it has a shape and a place in the body, and that there is something you can actually do with it.
“Feeling is a gift you give yourself. It is your right as a human being to experience your emotions — all of them.”
That conviction is the same one running through our executive coaching practice. The difference is only the reader.
The cast
Lil’ Sass & Friends.
An independent, courageous, sassy kid and the companions who help her name what she is feeling. Mrs. Moo, Mr. O.G., Lil’ Artie, Lil’ Amina and a growing cast of Adventurers, each carrying a different relationship to emotion.
The series comes with discussion guides, because the book is only half of it. The other half is the conversation an adult has afterwards, which most adults want to have and few feel equipped for.
Discussion guides
Companion material for parents, carers and educators — the questions that turn a story into a conversation.
Accessories
The Lil’ Sass cape and other accessories, because a physical object makes an idea portable for a child.
Recognition
Independently recognised.
Amazon Best Selling Author and a Readers’ Favorite Five Star review — two marks the work earned on its own terms.
FAQ
About the book series
Still unsure whether this is the right fit? Tell us what you are facing and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.
The Adventures of Lil’ Sass is an emotional wellness children’s book series and accessories line, on a mission for adults and kids to have a healthier, happier, more resilient relationship with their emotions. It is written by Christie Mann and published by UpLevel Productions, a venture of Dunbar Group & Associates LLC.
Lil’ Sass is an independent, courageous, sassy kid — a role model for children and adults to feel their emotions in a healthy and responsible way. She is joined by a cast of companions including Mrs. Moo, Mr. O.G., Lil’ Artie and Lil’ Amina.
The picture books are written for young readers and the adults reading with them. The material is deliberately designed to be read together — much of the value is in the conversation the book opens, which is why discussion guides accompany the series.
Yes. The series has earned an Amazon Best Selling Author distinction and a Readers’ Favorite Five Star review.
Books, the Lil’ Sass cape and other accessories are available at lilsass.com/shop, along with free downloadable resources.
Yes. The books, discussion guides and wider emotional wellness intellectual property are available for classroom and institutional licensing through Dunbar Group & Associates. Get in touch to discuss it.
Yes — Lil’ Sass: Adventures of Emotions extends the universe into a storytelling app that generates a personalised illustrated book starring the child.
Next step
Bring Lil’ Sass into your classroom, clinic or organization.
The books, guides and wider emotional wellness intellectual property are available for institutional licensing.