Too Much!: An Overwhelming Day

Ages 3 to 5, Grades P to K

A reassuring rhyming picture book about sensory overload and what you can do when everything is too much

When feelings go on overload,

I pause and breathe

and all is . . . slowed.

Sometimes everything is too much! Too loud, too bright, and all too overwhelming. Writing from her own experience with sensory processing disorder, award-winning teacher-librarian Jolene Gutiérrez’s compassionate picture book explores the struggles of a sensorily sensitive child and how they settle themselves. Joined by Angel Chang’s beautiful color illustrations, young readers will learn that it’s OK if some days are too much.

An extensive author’s note to caregivers and educators explores sensory systems, sensory processing issues, and specific information about how to support kids with overstimulated nervous systems as they learn to soothe themselves.

About the Author

Jolene Gutiérrez is an award-winning teacher-librarian who has been working with diverse learners at Denver Academy for the past 28 years. When she was little, she would squint to protect her eyes from bright lights and cover her ears to protect herself from loud noises. Now, she wears sunglasses when she’s outside and brings earplugs if she thinks she’ll need them. She didn’t immediately recognize her own kids’ sensory processing issues because their struggles looked different from her own. She hopes Too Much! will help caregivers and educators recognize and support sensory processing challenges.

Angel Chang was once a young girl who felt too much and often thought she didn’t belong because of it. It took a long time for her to learn that her feelings matter as much as everyone else’s. She hopes this book will help young readers realize theirs do too. Chang is the illustrator of Most of the Better Natural Things in the World; Just Like Me; and Lunar New Year Around the World. She lives in Taiwan with a cat who loves to chew papers and sleep on books.