I was keen to read this and learn more about IFS. The book was really empowering in its core message that all parts of us—even the ones we dislike—have value and deserve compassion. It was easy to understand and Schwartz explains the IFS model in a clear, relatable way, even if you're new to therapy or psychology. It offers practical tools for dealing with emotional pain, trauma, or inner conflict by listening to and understanding our inner parts. The tone of the book is supportive and makes the book feel safe and encouraging. Whether you're a therapist or just someone working on personal growth, the book gives hope, insight and guidance.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. As a therapist I was so excited to read it and I love this concept. I wish there were more books teaching therapy-related tools to younger audiences, which is what this book seems to be intended for. However, I don't know how accessible this book is to a child. I think the author tried very hard to make it both informative and engaging (through rhyme) but instead of adding to the appeal, the rhyming took away from this book, in my opinion. I think if the author were to get rid of the rhyming component completely and focus on just finding helpful ways to explain these concepts, the book would read much more cohesively. The rhyming made it confusing. The transitions were abrupt. I don't feel a child could fully grasp parts without a little more added to the book. Overall, a great effort and wonderful topic. I just think it needs some work before being introduced to a young audience.

I have been helped by IFS and admire Richard Swartz. I think a book about parts for children is a wonderful idea. I liked the evocative illustrations, especially in the exile section. I also feel book should be simpler for kids to follow. Too many ideas made the text confusing. I failed to see a defining link between the child’s family and the family inside him. I understand the family represented the family within, but their parallel to the manager, exile, firefighter, and true self was more difficult to connect. I would have liked more emphasis on the parts within the boy, with clarity about how he might learn lessons about coping from inside himself. His family dynamics were hard to understand and that section buried the lede by being too lengthy. I also felt the uneven rhyme used in the book was somewhat distracting. Some words like “aggressive” might be hard for a younger child to understand. IFS is so helpful. I believe this is a good introductory attempt to make the concept of IFS accessible to young children. I also feel it would benefit by being shorter and more to the point. I look forward to a tween/young adult sequel.

I loved this. As a clinician, I see a blend of children and adults. I’ve never really utilized IFS with children, so this was a delight to read. I will definitely be buying a copy of my own to use in my practice. The artwork was also beautiful (the chosen colors suited the vibe)— I read it on my iPad which helps in my opinion when reading arcs of children’s books. The art definitely invited conversation and further discussion, and I appreciated not being limited to what words were on the page. Highly recommend.

As I’ve delved into this theory in my personal counseling journey, I was so excited to see an author tackle all the different sides of us for a children’s book. This book didn’t disappoint! I look forward to reading with my kids. Thanks to NetGalley for this arc!

I worry this book will be hard to understand. I am an adult. I found it hard to understand. I’m not sure at what age a child would understand this but my three-year-old niece wouldn’t. It’s also so long and literary and esoteric, but she’s not gonna pay attention. I do like the art in this book but that’s about it.

Having used Internal Family Systems (IFS) for a couple of years, this book fills a necessary gap. While aimed at children, it’s also accessible for teens and adults to grasp IFS basics and visualize the meanings. It’s a great companion to Richard Schwartz’s original “No Bad Parts” and is co-authored by Bethany Hegedes.

Likely geared toward ages 6+, but suitable for reading to younger kids, as the material is uplifting and positive. Adding a page for parents with discussion ideas or ways to help their children “in the moment” would be beneficial, which may be available with the planned story time kit for schools, libraries, and parents.

Excellent illustrations by Kate Fedos captured what the internal family feels and looks like. One of my parts felt very seen by this book, which is the mark of good illustrating. I also find the variety of how parts present to be helpful, as many new to IFS are not aware they may not look like you.

Overall, love this! Will be adding this one to my collection and sharing with my teenagers! I gave my IFS practitioner a sneak peek of one page, and she is already excited to buy it. ☺️

I received an electronic ARC from Sounds True Publishing through NetGalley.
I was interested to see how Schwartz would present a children's introduction to the Internal Family System (IFS) option for therapy. The artwork is stunning and captures the various parts well. However, the text is stilted at times and the rhyme scheme is forced. Some parts are not explained as clearly as needed and I think that's because of the rhyming pattern.
It does work as an introduction and families involved can use this to support therapy.

This book is about the different parts of yourself, the inner manger and inner firefighter, who help regulate emotions. I enjoyed this, though my children didn't seem to understand the concept.

As someone who’s read Dr. Schwartz’s No Bad Parts for adults, I was thrilled to see a kid-friendly version! With its adorable and diverse illustrations, relatable comparisons, and gentle rhyming scheme, this book makes a complex topic surprisingly easy for young children to understand.

It’s a fantastic tool for elementary teachers looking to open up conversations about emotions and self-acceptance—or a meaningful read for a grandparent and grandchild to enjoy together, with a message that resonates for both. A thoughtful, empowering book for all ages.

This is an important book - one I wish I had as a child. One I wish my children had when young. IFS has been life changing for me! I also love the illustrations and the rhyming!

Dr. Schwartz provides a simple way for kids to understand their responses to different scenarios. Based on polyvagal theory, it describes a management/controlling response to circumstances and external stimulations. As well, there is the emergency response (fix it and distraction modes—sort of like fight/flight) and the exile’s response (shame, fear, embarrassment leading to freeze/fight/flight). All valid responses to stimuli.

While validating these responses, and providing some coping mechanisms to assuage the Manager, Firefighter and Exil, the book also encourages kids towards a True Self—courageous, confident, curious, compassionate, etc. This book can help kids verbalize and visualize internal feelings and sources of their behavioral responses.

However, there isn’t any suggestions for how a Manager, Firefighter or Exile maintains relationships with others in different situations. It’s all about self-connection and not interdependence, cooperation, collaboration and exploration (uncovering whether our initial assumptions about the trigger/other person’s actions are legit). Parents and teachers who use this book may want to have discussions regarding these possibilities also.

I appreciate the publisher providing an advanced copy.

I am a fan of the original No Bad Parts and the work the author has done in Internal Family Systems, so I was interested to see a children’s version. If you aren’t already familiar with the model, this book will be a little confusing. I appreciate the effort but it just didn’t translate well. ARC via NetGalley

This picture book introduces children to the basic concepts involved in Internal Family Systems Therapy. The illustrations are expressive and splashy, conveying the emotions and struggles that the characters are experiencing, but I found the writing somewhat confusing. The phrasing is often forced and uneven to fit the rhyme scheme, and unless someone is already familiar with IFS, some of the vocabulary and concepts may not make a lot of sense. Because this book is so short, there's not a lot of context for things. This will appeal most to therapists and parents who are invested in IFS already, and who have their own ideas for how to further explain and implement these concepts with kids.

I was eager to read this book since I've read other titles by Schwartz, and so was enthused to see Internal Family Systems in a format for younger kids. Generally, No Bad Parts does a good job explaining the different parts - Manager, Firefighter, and Exile - but the illustration style felt too busy/bright/almost chaotic for me. A pared-back, simpler style might be more effective in conveying Internal Family Systems, but perhaps that's just my preference. Overall, a sweet book for older children (7-12) to read with their adults and re-read as they grow.

While it's a helpful book that explains what happens inside of us, it might be a little too wordy for children that are too young, which could be a factor in keeping their attention.

This is a book that appears to be about how while the parts of us that can make us act or react in ways that may not be positive (the Exile, the Firefighter), those parts also can be useful at times.
I really like the premise of this and think that it has some positive messages at its core. However, I think the language and ideas might be too tricky for younger children while the illustrations and tone may be too young for older children, which narrows its potential audience somewhat. I also feel that some of it is very Americanized, which is fine if the book isn't aimed at the UK market. Otherwise, some of the phrases like 'lickety split' aren't used much over here.
Lastly, the colour of the print will need to be considered carefully as in some places it's very difficult to read. I appreciate that this is not a finished copy though and likely to be different in print.
Overally, I liked the concept and I might get a copy for our school library, but it just didn't quite work for me.

Well written and illustrated book that explains that people are composed of different people, having different roles and jobs in life. This approach helps to explain why and how we are sometimes helpful to ourselves, sometimes critical, sometimes healing, and sometimes harming. Psychologically comforting and easy to understand. Useful, wonderful, I enjoyed it.

No Bad Parts! Is a child's version of a book by Richard Swartz called No Bad Parts. Which explain Internal Family Systems in a very clear and child friendly way. As an adult learning about Internal Family Systems this book helped me to understand some of the nuances of the theory through analogies and simple explanations. It would be a perfect book for a parent, therapist, teacher or librarian to read to children to explain how their brain works and protects them in different situations. It also helps them understand why they react in different ways when faced with challenging situations. The book explains the different roles The Manager, The Exile and The Firefighter and the kinds of reactions that might be the result of these parts taking over. I think this would be a perfect addition to a personal library, therapist library and school/public libraries.

Thank you NetGalley, Richard Schwartz, Bethany Hegedus and Sounds True Publishing for the opportunity to preview this title and the opinions shared are my own.

No Bad Parts! is expected to be released Sept. 9, 2025.

An informative and compassionate translation of Schwartz's Internal Family Systems model for children. Our brains can be scary and confusing, especially when we're first learning how to truly articulate how we think and feel. This does a great job of laying out the basics, allowing kids to learn that we're made up of many working parts and that none of those parts are, in fact, bad.

The illustrations are fun but a bit busy set against the text; however I am only reviewing the unpublished ARC, so final font formatting may change that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.