TOO MUCH! A PICTURE BOOK REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND MORE!

I always enjoy sharing my writing friend's new books and am happy to tell you about Jolene Gutiérrez's sensitive picture book, TOO MUCH! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams Books). The book which is beautifully illustrated by Angel Chang, is coming out on August 1 and can be preordered here. Remember! Preorders are one way you help authors get the word out about their books. If you don't want to purchase it yourself, then ask your library to add it to their collection. 

REVIEW

The book is written in simple poetry but tackles a difficult topic: Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Jolene is intimately acquainted with this condition so she is uniquely qualified to write about a child who suffers from SPD.

As the little girl gets ready for school, the reader sees in a very close POV how light, sounds, textures, and even crunchy cereals bother her.

At school, she must navigate playground friends who want to hug her--which creates sensory overload.

Our little friend is so upset that all she can do is hide.

Fortunately, she knows to ask for something that will calm her down.

I take deep breaths

you hold my hand

I'm thankful

that you understand.

                                ****

                              When feelings go 

                     on overload,

                     I pause and breathe,

                     and all is...

BACK MATTER

Jolene included four terrific pages of information about SPD, sensory systems, and even how to create a sensory diet. 

I recommend this book to parents, librarians, and teachers who suspect a child has a sensory disorder.  The little girl's needs are so sweetly and simply showed that I think every preK-1st grade teacher needs this in her classroom. It will help other students develop empathy for a child experiencing these issues and would be useful when targeting social-emotional learning. Here is a link to the caregiver's/teacher's guide on Jolene's website.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Carol: Why did you choose poetry to write this story?  

Jolene: I did NOT want to write in rhyme because rhyme and rhythm are a challenge for me, but this story demanded it. The piece “Too loud! Too bright! Too itchy! Too tight!” came to me first, so I wrote those words down and eventually built a story around them. 

 

Carol: I understand that you and your children have experienced sensory processing issues. Is this a genetic disorder?

 

Jolene: Yes, my daughter, my son, and I all have sensory processing disorder, and this is absolutely the book that I needed as I was trying to raise my children (and probably the book my parents needed as they were trying to raise me). Many of my sensitivities are based around sound, light, and textures (of food and of clothing). My daughter is my oldest child, so she is the person I got to learn to parent on. Her sensitivities looked different from mine—she didn’t like touch or certain types of movement. I was slow to realize that we were both struggling with sensory input and regulation but in different ways. With the help of a play therapist who recommended testing and occupational therapy, we both learned about sensory needs. Since many types of neurodiversity seem to be inherited and sensory processing disorder is one of those differences, I would say that yes, in my non-expert opinion, sensory sensitivities can be genetic.

 

Carol: Can you talk a bit about how your experiences informed this book? Was it difficult to write about something this personal? 

 

Jolene: Those experiences ARE this book—I brainstormed things that I struggled with or that my kids struggled with and wrote scenes around them. The only difficulty in writing about this is the guilt I feel for not recognizing what was going on with my daughter sooner. This is the book I needed so I wouldn’t feel like a bad parent who was doing something wrong AND the book my kids needed so they wouldn’t feel different. Had I known what was going on earlier, I could have anticipated my kids’ needs and advocated for them. I hope this book will be a helpful tool for the families and kids who need it and a way to encourage compassion and understanding for those who haven’t experienced sensory overwhelm.

 

Carol: How did your experiences as a teacher and librarian at a school for kids who are diverse learners shape this book?

Jolene: My students are often neurodiverse learners. Some of my students may have diagnoses that include dyslexia, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder. Amongst students with some type of neurodiversity, co-occurrence of differences is common.  I see a lot of sensory sensitivities in my students. When I’m teaching, I’m sure to name some of mine, too: “I get really overwhelmed and distracted by sound, so it helps me if you don’t have side conversations when I’m trying to teach.” As I wrote TOO MUCH!, I thought of what would help my students.

 

Carol: What was your book journey?

Jolene: This manuscript originally started as a board book manuscript. There were three editors interested in it and two of the editors wanted some revisions, so I ended up with three versions: the original version, a version with problem/solution format (one stanza introduced a problem and the next stanza introduced a solution), and a version where the caregiver has more dialog. Each of the editors was so thoughtful and kind but Meredith Mundy at Abrams Appleseed is the editor who connected most strongly with this manuscript, and I’m so honored and happy to work with her! Ironically, this manuscript is coming out first as a picture book and eventually will be released as a board book. I also have two other picture books (both co-authored) coming out with Meredith at Abrams Appleseed in the next two years. Mamiachi and Me, a picture book co-authored with my son Dakota about an all-female mariachi group; the other hasn’t been announced yet. 

 

Carol: The illustrations are fantastic. Did you have any input into them?

Jen: I love them, too! Angel Chang is amazing! Meredith gave me some choices and also asked if I had a specific art style in mind. Since I try not to imagine illustrations when I’m writing and because sensory overwhelm seems like such a tough subject to illustrate, I didn’t have many ideas. But as we explored some of the illustrators Meredith and art director Heather Kelly suggested, we all gravitated to Angel’s art. She did the most brilliant job of illustrating something that we were all worrying about: “How do you illustrate sensory overwhelm?” Through the use of color, lines, and little shapes that Angel called “emotional friends,” we can see when Birdy, the little girl Angel created, is overwhelmed.

Meredith and Heather allowed me to look over the art at various stages and asked for feedback, so they worked very collaboratively with me and with Angel to ensure that the final product reflected both of us. One of the main scenes where I offered feedback is the playground scene. Initially, Birdy was on the top of the play structure peeking out at her playground friends below. My feedback was based on my own experiences. If Birdy was overwhelmed, she would be shutting down and trying to shut the world out, so she would probably be hugging herself, hiding her face, etc. Angel used that feedback to create a Birdy authentic to my experiences.

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment or email me by July 26 to enter. Sorry, U.S. addresses only. If you are an educator or librarian, you get two chances. Please leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. 

Congratulations to Linda Trott Dickman who won Find Me In the Time Before from last week's blog.