Crestline, California Oct 14, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - After more than 20 years working with children from kindergarten through high school, Laure Stack kept noticing the same heartbreaking moment: a child shutting down the instant they decided they "can't" read, "can't" do the math, or "can't" finish the task. In a June 2026 interview, Stack said that observation became the seed of Once Upon a Boy, her picture book about a boy named Liam whose big dreams are threatened by doubt -- until a magical experience teaches him that believing in himself matters most. Liam, the book's young hero, was based on a real student Stack worked with. The official description frames the story around imagination and overcoming doubt, and its core themes run deep for young readers: self-belief, imagination, friendship, dreams, loneliness, self-worth, and recognizing one's own potential. Barnes & Noble's listing summarizes the book's promise simply -- that dreams can come true when children believe in themselves. "As a teacher and a parent, I need children to believe in themselves, be proud of themselves, and understand how to deal with fear and conflict in healthy ways," Stack said. Stack's path to authorship reads like the moral of one of her own stories. In the same June interview, she shared that she had always wanted to write but became a teacher instead, and only began writing after retirement, when she finally had time to turn the needs she had observed in classrooms into stories.

Her transition from education to children's literature was less a career change than an extension of what she had always done: observing the emotional and developmental barriers children face and finding ways to help them move through those barriers. Of Stack's growing library, Once Upon a Boy is the clearest bridge between her classroom years and her message about confidence -- a "teacher-to-author" story in the truest sense. Audio editions of all of Stack's books are also in production and will be available soon. Once Upon a Boy by Laure Stack -- 28 pages; illustrated by Mariia Andrieieva; ISBN 9798893167504. Find the Book: Author website https://laurestack.com/ ; Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKDFDG5S ; Facebook @authorlaurestack; Instagram @authorlaurestack. ### Laure Stack is a children's author and former special education teacher with more than 20 years of experience working with young people from kindergarten through high school. After retiring from education, she began turning the emotional barriers she had observed in children -- self-doubt, fear of difference, loneliness, and uncertainty -- into stories designed to encourage confidence and self-acceptance. She lives in Lake Arrowhead, California, with her husband and pets. In 2026 she was named Best New Children's Book Author in California, United States, by the Evergreen Awards. Media Contact: Laure Stack | [email protected] | (626) 488-3547 | https://laurestack.com/

Media Contact

Laure Stack

[email protected]

(626) 488-3547

https://laurestack.com/