I'm Stretched

A great read and tool for preteens to learn how to deal with and handle stress. The illustrations of the girl being stretched really shows how stress feels. I love it teaches you can turn to family and they can help you. Wish I could give it more than 5*s for it's sound advice.

This was a joy to read and I would have loved to read this book as a kid! First of all, the illustrations are very creative. The protagonist, a young girl who is stretched too thin, is literally stretchy. She's long and flexible and gives readers a better idea of what it means to be over-extended since it's so literal. I also loved the scene where the main character's mom tells her she'll be her "dust pan" and as the daughter vents, her words literally come out of her mouth and litter the room like trash.

I enjoyed the explanations of stress--how it can be good at times but also bad in many other circumstances. The mother and daughter in this book clearly have a strong bond, and the mother teaches her how to cope with stress by meditating, talking to others, performing acts of kindness, and going outside. All of these explanations and suggestions were kid-friendly and digestible.

I honestly think this book would even be helpful for adults to read. It's a reminder that our mental health matters and that we need to lead kids by example. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this!

Children have to learn how to deal with stress in a healthy way. I'm Stretched by Julia Cook is a great learning tool for building this skill. Illustrations are adorable and engaging. As usual, the author give solid advice in a digestible kid appropriate story. I loved when the main character is encouraged to look at the situation differently to solve it. I will purchase a copy to use in my sessions with students. Highly recommend. Thanks National Center for Youth Issues and NetGalley for the ARC of this title for review.

As an adult I feel stretched often. My thirteen year old struggles with feeling stretched as well. It’s so easy to forget that our kids can be overwhelmed easily and they need to step back. They can say no to activities and things get just cannot deal with. A society always go go going... we need to learn how to belly breathe and relax.

This was such a great book. I felt like it would help me with our current home life and gave me good tips and tricks. Sleeping, eating better, exercise and a clear mind can all make that stretched feeling of being overwhelmed get a bit smaller if you practice them a little bit every day.

I loved everything about this book!! Children are stressed just like adults and this book helps children to see what stress they have that is good or bad stress. The book identifies ways for children to handle their stress better, and I honestly couldn't be happier with the suggestions. As a parent, I have a hard time handling stress at times, and a book that helps children understand and work through stress, is so great to see.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.