Cover Image: Beat, Beat, Thump

Beat, Beat, Thump

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Member Reviews

An excellent book to help children dealing with anxiety. Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A book for kids about what anxiety feels like for them. Well written and illustrated will help the reader understand and visualize anxiety.

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The illustrations were nice, and the message is good: we shouldn't let anxiety rule our lives. But these kinds of books make me wish we had a bigger focus on God. I think we'd see a lot less anxiety if we did that. And this book doesn't strike me as one that would be read over and over again at night. It's probably better for a doctor's office where little kids can calm down with it instead.

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This book was an adorable way to help children understand their anxiety and teach them methods for battling it.

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This is a book I wanted to read to my daughter. She found it entertaining. It might be one of her favorite new books

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This book is about a boy who experiences anxiety. He shares strategies to help defer the panic and racing thoughts and acknowledges that his heart is there for all feelings, good or bad.
I think the idea behind the book is good, but I’ve seen it done better. Still, it’s a helpful resource for parents who have children with anxiety. It could help the child understand what they’re feeling.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. Review will be posted on my instagram @lizzies_little_library_

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Thank you NetGalley and National Center For Youth Issues for accepting my request to read and review Beat, Beat, Thump.

Author: Allison Edwards
Published: 10/27/22
Genre: Children's Fiction -- Health, Mind, & Body

Describing various situations where your heart beats fast, the author attempts to emulate anxiety. It was not until I finished the story and read the author's notes that anxiety was mentioned. While reading, I saw the child's dog and was waiting for its tail to beat ad thump. Clearly there is a miscommunication. Should anyone pick the book up and just start reading, I don't see anxiety as the focus.

With mature, full concentration, one-on-one with a child, I would recommend using this book every semester or quarter of school for teaching.

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A young boy learns a valuable technique to deal with his anxiety in this nicely illustrated picture book. He listens to the sound of his heart and breathes in rhythm with its beat. A good lesson for us all , not just the targeted age group.

This book would be a valuable addition to a school library as well as the children's section of a public library.

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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. As a practicing clinical psychologist, I really enjoyed this book. I love how it connects feelings to sensations for kids. I think kids reading this book will feel validated in their feelings and learn some tools as well. Recommended for parents, other caregivers, schools, hospital settings, doctor's offices and libraries. There are many books written on this subject however I really enjoyed this one. The illustrations are lovely and compliment the story well.

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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I enjoyed the overarching story and especially as this is a method to help children understand anxiety and to learn how having anxiety doesn't need to stop them. I think this was well written, though I am not certain it will be one of the first eye catching materials for parents or kids. However this will be a great resource for parents to explain anxiety for children and especially for those who are kids that need to understand their experiences with anxiety.

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Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I really liked this depiction of anxiety. It simplifies the feelings down for a child to self identify and explains where these feelings may come from. Nice pictures help keep the book calm.

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Beat beat thump - it’s the rhythm of the heart and its tempo gives us insight as to how we are feeling. When anxious, it ramps up. This story is a great way to teach kids different ways to slow down the beat beat thump of their heart to lessen feelings of anxiety and enhance their ability to navigate stressful situations, or to calm the mind to be able to rest. It’s a great read for kids and adults alike - we could all use help when it comes to the rhythm and tempo of our hearts.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are mine alone.

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Beat, Beat, Thump reads like a social story for kids dealing with anxiety. It could be very helpful to children struggling with feelings of panic, and includes some beginner ideas to help quell those feelings. I could see this being a popular choice for an elementary school social worker or psychologist, but not as a fun picture book for general readers.

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As an adult with anxiety, this is a book that calms me. It’s one I want to read to my kids, not only for the age appropriate and accurate depiction of anxiety, but also for the coping skills woven throughout. The art is also beautiful.

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Love this! Teaching kids about anxiety/mental health and how to work through it, instead of stuffing it down and away, is soooo important. I wish more books existed like this when I was a kid, but I'm so glad they exist now for future generations.

Lovely illustrations, too.

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I deal with chronic anxiety because of generalized anxiety disorder and I would have killed for this book as a child! The note at the end of the book about being empowered by your anxiety instead of debilitated by it is so important for children because it can be very very scary to live a life where you're afraid of everything for seemingly no reason. I think this is going to be a vital resource for a lot of parents and children and I am excited to see a book like this on shelves everywhere.

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This book is perfect for teaching kids to listen to their bodies. It tells about how a child feels when they’re dealing with high anxiety and solutions to deal with it.

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I love using picture books as teaching tools with my children. As a parent it is often difficult to find the perfect words to help your child or to help explain what it is they are feeling.
Beat, Beat, Thump is an excellent story that addresses anxiety in children and what that may feel like. A young boy talks about the sounds and feelings that happen when he starts to feel overwhelmed. The Beat, Beat, Thump starts in his heart and travels up through his throat and into his ears and head. Try as he might he cannot make it go away.
From explaining the symptoms that this young child feels, to when and why he may start to feel this anxiety, and finally to showing coping mechanisms, this story just outlines it all so wonderfully. As a parent and avid picture book reader I appreciated how the story went full circle: turning the Beat, Beat, Thump from a negative to a positive. A must have addition for every home library.

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Beat, Beat, thump is the sound of my fears.
But it is also the sound of my joy, my happiness, and a reminder that I am strong.

A book for both parent and child to be self-aware of your heart and your mind. The two are connected. When our heart races it can mean many things. You are running a race or your mind is racing. Whichever it may be, there are steps to take deep breaths and quiet our hearts and mind. To lessen the anxiety we may feel.

It is a journey for you and your child together with other children and what they face. It is a child friendly look at anxiety without shame and guilt. A great resource for families.

A special thank you to National Center for Youth Issues and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

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Super cute short read for kiddos about how anxiety feels in their chest. It’s hard for kids to put a name to their feelings sometimes and this would be helpful for them! I would suggest kiddos in elementary school for most relatability. I enjoyed the illustrations as well!

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