Jazmine's First Sleepover
Written by the Segall Bryant & Hamill team
Cover illustration by: Magdalena Bratic
It was Wednesday at lunchtime at Cherry Drive Elementary school and as always, Jazmine, Callie, and Karissa were all sitting together. “Last night my mom got me a new sleeping bag”, shared Callie, “It’s got a rainbow unicorn on it! I was thinking, we should have a sleepover this weekend so I can use it for the first time.” “That would be awesome!,” said Karissa. But Jazmine said nothing. She always got a funny feeling in her belly when she thought about sleeping at someone else's house.
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As Callie stepped away for a moment to buy a carton of milk, Jazmine turned to Karissa. “Have you ever spent the night at someone’s house, Karissa?” “Yes! Twice! Once with my cousin and the other time at Alex’s. It was so much fun. At my cousin’s, we even slept outside in the backyard!” said Karissa. Jazmine’s stomach continued to fill with butterflies as she imagined all the different things they might do at the sleepover. All she could think about was how embarrassed she’d be if her friends saw how scared she was.
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Jazmine thought to herself that if they had the sleepover at her house maybe she wouldn’t be so afraid. The butterflies in Jazmine’s tummy began to disappear. She started feeling much better. Jazmine asked Callie and Karissa “Would you like to have a sleepover at my house?" The butterflies came back into her tummy because she was afraid they would say no.
Illustration by: Magdalena Bratic
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"You can host the sleepover next time, Jazmine", said Callie. "I want to have it at my house so my little sister can join us!". Jazmine put on a brave face and said "OK". But she didn't feel OK. She pretended that the butterflies weren't there. That afternoon when she returned home from school, Jazmine told her mother about the sleepover and how she had that weird feeling in her belly.
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Jazmine’s mom was very excited for her. “You’ll have so much fun!” she said. She told Jazmine all about the fun things she used to do with her friends when they had slumber parties. Jazmine did love watching movies, painting her nails, and board games - maybe it wouldn’t be so scary after all. By Friday morning, Jazmine too was beginning to feel excited. She began packing up her supplies that she’d take to Callie’s house that evening: pajamas, toothbrush, and her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Moose.
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However, that gut feeling of nervousness and fear appeared in her gut once again. "What's going to happen? What if something goes wrong? I've never been to another girl’s house. What if I can't call my mom?" Jazmine thought. Jazmine's mom noticed the slight furrow in her brow. " Are you nervous?" Jazmine slightly tilted her head up and down.
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"It may feel uncomfortable now, but you should still go. A lot of things can feel bad or scary, but that's just because you haven't dealt with anything like them yet. Some of the most exciting things start off by feeling scary, but to get to the good part you're going to have to be uncomfortable for a bit. At any time during the sleepover, you can call me. If it's too much for you, I'll pick you up, and we can watch movies at home. Everything will be fine, but if it's not you can always come home." Jazmine's mom smiled back at Jazmine, who was feeling a bit better.
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Jazmine's mom pulled the car up to Callie's house just as Karissa was arriving for the sleepover. Callie and her little sister both squealed with delight as they ran from the porch steps to greet their sleep over guests. Jazmine unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed her bag and joined her friends. The girls hurried inside to start their evening of fun while the parents discussed the details of picking up their girls the next morning. Jazmine ran back out to give her mom a quick hug and a kiss and told her they were making mini pizzas for dinner. Jazmine's mom said goodbye and drove off. Neither Jazmine or her mom had noticed that Mr. Moose had fallen to the floor in the back of the car.
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After the girls finished up their dinner of mini pizzas, they went up to Callie’s room to change into their pajamas. They had decided to watch a movie before going to sleep. This is when Jazmine noticed that Mr. Moose was missing. The butterflies in her tummy immediately came back.
Illustration by: Victoria Cunningham
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Jazmine pulled Karissa to the side, but was embarrassed to say what was wrong. “Is everything okay?” asked Karissa. “Yeah… it is just… well… I don’t know where Mr. Moose is,” Jazmine shyly responded. “Who is Mr. Moose?” Karissa said. “He is kind of... one of my best friends, he is my favorite stuffed animal, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep without him!” Jazmine said, her butterflies getting worse.
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“Oh no!” Karissa exclaimed, “I have just the thing to help!” Karissa ran over to her bag and after looking around inside, pulled out a stuffed otter. She proudly held it up to Jazmine and explained, “This is Otto the Otter! I couldn’t pick which stuffed animal to bring, so I brought two. He will keep you safe tonight.” Jazmine accepted Otto and gave him a big hug, already feeling much better about things. She felt silly being so nervous, she should have known that her friends would always be there to help her out.
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“Jazmine, why don’t you pick out the movie we watch? You always have great picks,” suggested Callie. Jazmine smiled again - her friends were being so kind to her. She picked out a movie about two kids exploring outer space that she had never seen before. With the nerves and excitement she’d been feeling all evening, Jazmine’s eyes started to droop soon after the movie had started. She was dreaming about a moose and an otter dressed as astronauts when Callie’s sister shook her shoulder, “Your mom is calling to say goodnight”. Jazmine took the phone. “Hi sweetie, I just wanted to check in and tell you I love you and that I’m proud of you for going to your first sleepover!”
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The light coming through the window woke Jazmine up first. She looked around and saw the clock read 8:00 am. Callie and Karissa were still sleeping. Jazmine looked next to her and to her great surprise, Mr. Moose and Otto the Otter were cuddled up next to her in the sleeping bag. There was a note taped on Mr. Moose. It read, "Mr. Moose couldn't miss your first sleepover... hope you had fun! Love, Mom". Jazmine realized that her Mom must have brought Mr. Moose over to Callie's after she had fallen asleep.
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Callie and Karissa were now waking up too and all three girls giggled at the sight of Mr. Moose. Callie's Mom yelled to the girls, "Chocolate chip pancakes for everybody!". Jazmine laughed, "Even for Mr. Moose?". Jazmine realized that her Mom was right that it was ok to feel scared when trying something new. She was so excited for her next sleepover. Her Mom arrived to pick her up and Jazmine was so excited when her Mom told her that Callie and Karissa would be coming over for a sleepover at their house next weekend....and Otto the Otter was invited too as a guest of Mr. Moose.
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This book was collaboratively written by the Segall Bryant & Hamill team: Victoria Cunningham LaTerrell Bradford Drew Conrad Elizabeth Roberts Judy Gregory Jasper Frontz Magdalena Bratic Cover illustration by: Magdalena Bratic