07/15/2026
Our guest speaker, author Franklin Smith, a musician and corporate trainer, is the creator of HOPEiDONT Books, a series of interactive stories designed to help children better understand and manage their emotions.
His interactive children’s books teaches readers about processing anger and frustration, and how doing the right thing ultimately creates a sense of self-assurance and joy.
When he began working with a physician at a children’s hospital “everything clicked—I realized I had naturally woven SEL principles into the heart of the story.” He realized his stories aligned with what is known as social-emotional learning (SEL).
SEL is a process that focuses on helping children build healthy identities, recognize, understand and manage their emotions, while also building empathy, relationships and decision-making skills.
“When I began writing this book, I had never heard the term Social Emotional Learning (SEL). I was simply following my instincts as a storyteller and as someone who cares about how children experience and express their emotions.”
Then he met a physician at a children’s hospital and “everything clicked—I realized I had naturally woven SEL principles into the heart of the story.”
That framework focuses on helping children recognize, understand and manage their emotions, while also building empathy, relationships and decision-making skills.
Smith and his team have worked to refine the books into tools that can be used not just at home, but in classrooms and other settings. Each book includes interactive elements — such as coloring pages and activities — to reinforce the lessons in a hands-on way.
“We have an incredible illustrator who is part of the HOPEiDONT team: Mark Marderosian,” Smith said.
At their root, he added, “HOPEiDONT Books aren’t just stories – they’re tools for emotional development.”
“HOPEiDONT Books publishes three books per year, which gives educators in schools and in the home a fresh set of resources to choose from each year,” Smith said.
“Each book is created using the CASEL framework for social emotional learning that includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills and responsible decision making. Each student has their own 64-page book each quarter of the school year that serves as their personal social emotional learning journal.”
But no matter the subject, Smith said the goal remains the same: helping children understand what they’re feeling and giving them the confidence to handle it.
For more information visit: https://hopeidont.com/
