- Written by: Lauren Scheller-Wolf
- Audience: Grades K - 5
- Themes: Loneliness • Friendship • Connection • Community
- Meets PA Standards: 9.1, 11.3, 11.4, 16.1-3.
Jessie is starting at a new school, and she's feeling lonely. Thankfully, she has her imagination, her trusty sketchbook, and the delightfully quirky characters she loves to draw! When these characters come to life, students join the quest to find friendship and connection, learn simple, pediatrician-approved techniques for dealing with large emotions, and experience the power of belonging.
Jessie’s Sketchbook Squad: Scene 1
It’s Jessie’s first day at a new school, and she’s not sure how to make friends with her new classmates. Jessie shares that she sometimes feels invisible at school, and when that happens, she likes to pretend that the characters she draws in her sketchbook are real, and they’re going on adventures together. She decides to show the audience what she means, and draws a new character: Peregrine, a knight in shining armor. Peregrine leads Jessie in a breathing exercise to help her calm down, and helps Jessie identify that she’s feeling lonely. Jessie and the audience learn that everyone feels lonely sometimes, and share some tips for making new friends.
Jessie’s Sketchbook Squad: Scene 2
After school, Jessie returns home and tells her older brother Morgan about her day. Morgan is disinterested, and brushes Jessie off when she asks to play with him. Jessie tells the audience that she doesn’t only feel lonely at school, sometimes she feels lonely at home, too. With the audience’s help, she creates another character: the fairy Briar. Briar leads Jessie through their breathing exercise, and helps her challenge her belief that Morgan is angry with her. Jessie and the audience learn some tips for connecting with older siblings and guardians.
Jessie’s Sketchbook Squad: Scene 3
Later that day, Jessie calls one of her friends from her old school, River. River shares all the fun things that Jessie’s old class has been doing since she left, and that he’s becoming friends with the most popular student in Jessie’s old class. Jessie tells the audience that she sometimes sees pictures and videos online of all the fun things other people are doing, and that makes her feel lonely too. Jessie and the audience create another friend to help her: Freddie the frog. Freddie leads Jessie in their breathing exercise, and helps Jessie challenge her belief that River doesn’t want to be her friend anymore. They also discuss that social media can be misleading, and can sometimes make you feel more lonely. Freddie encourages Jessie to share with River how she’s feeling, and to reach out to her other old friends too.
Jessie’s Sketchbook Squad: Scene 4
The next day at school, Jessie is talking to Peregrine, when she’s stopped by two of her classmates, who call Jessie names for having an “imaginary friend.” Jessie gets very upset, and Peregrine is unable to calm her down. With the help of the audience, Peregrine summons Briar and Freddie, and all three Friends work together to help Jessie calm down, recognize some of the things that make her special, give her some more tips for making friends, and encourage her to tell an adult about how she’s feeling. They also reassure Jessie that everyone needs a reminder of how awesome they are sometimes.
Jessie’s Sketchbook Squad: Scene 5
The next day, Jessie approaches some students and her teacher and gives them each personalized drawings with something she thinks is awesome about each of them. She shares with her teacher that she told her mom that she’s feeling lonely, and her mom is going to find her a therapist to talk to. Jessie is approached by one of her classmates, who asks if she wants to sit together at lunch. Jessie happily agrees, and shares one final moment with the audience, where she thanks them for helping her learn that no matter what happens, she is not alone.
