Regina Davis and Carolyn Royer Spencer were two recently retired, caring and sensitive teachers who wanted students to enjoy going to school without the fear of bullying. And so they began their quest to end bullying once and for all.
Davis and Spencer are the authors of the Señor Smarty Pantaloons children’s books, a sci-fi/fantasy series designed to teach children why bullying is wrong. The books have proven wildly popular among young readers, serving as a resource for teachers, parents, guidance counselors and students to engage the subject of bullying.
“We wanted to teach children at the elementary level the proper skills to protect themselves from bullies,” says Davis. “All elementary schools need an anti-bullying program and every school should be a “No Bully Zone”
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, nearly half of all children will experience bullying at some point while attending primary or secondary school. Bullying can include everything from making threats and spreading rumors to physical or excluding someone from a group on purpose. These experiences can eventually lead a child to exhibit low self-esteem.
“If a child exhibits any signs of being a bully, it needs to be stopped as soon as possible,” says Davis. “That’s why these books are so important. Parents need to teach their children at an early age to be kind to other people.”
Davis and Spencer published the second book in their series, Lord Computesalot, Ruler of Aurora Bullyalis and His Secret Quest to End Bullying in May of 2013. The book recently won Honorable Mention at the Halloween Book Festival by J. M. Northern Media.
But Señor Smarty Pantaloons is only the beginning for Davis and Spencer as anti-bullying advocates. Davis has already sought to partner with anti-bullying agencies, including President Obama’s Stop Bullying initiative (http://www.stopbullying.gov/).
The two have also begun preliminary discussions to have the material adapted for a potential animated children’s program. They feel an animated series would provide an exceptional opportunity to maximize the story’s potential and allow for its anti-bullying message to reach far more people and resonate with more families.
“People who have read our books always remark that it would make for a terrific TV show. It has all the necessary ingredients to tell an enjoyable story each week,” says Davis. “Children are fascinated by the unusual characters; once you have imaginative, dynamic characters, the story falls into place.”
For more information, visit http://www.senorsmartypantaloons.com