It's So Difficult - Hardcover

Guridi, Raúl Nieto

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802855849 ISBN 13: 9780802855848

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2022

Synopsis

A school day can be so overwhelming: so many people, so many noises, so many things to remember. Grown-ups say it’ll get easier with time, but even saying hello is incredibly hard. Thank goodness for comforts like math, for anything that can relax a restless mind. Maybe this time a few words will come out at last…

An empathetic look at anxiety and overstimulation, It’s So Difficult follows a child throughout the challenging routines of a single day. Even the smallest step forward can be an enormous triumph. 

About this title

About the Authors

Raúl Nieto Guridi has created many books for children, including The King of Nothing (New York Review Books), A Drop of the Sea (Kids Can), and The Day I Became a Bird (Kids Can). His works have been selected for special mention for the Bologna Ragazzi Award and for inclusion in the USBBY Outstanding International Books list. It’s So Difficult was shaped by Guridi’s experiences with students as a secondary school teacher. He lives in Spain.

Lawrence Schimel is an award-winning author who writes in both Spanish and English. He has published over 50 books for kids. He lives in Madrid, Spain, where in addition to his own writing, he works as a literary translator.

Reviews

Gr 2-4-For some people, the enormity and chaos of the outside world are hard enough to navigate; participating is an even greater challenge. An unnamed boy is preparing for another day of school; he passes the same neighbors and gets on the same bus as usual, but despite his familiarity with them, he never speaks. As the intensity of the world increases, he shrinks into himself, finding solace in numbers and calculations. Even the smallest of interactions is a huge triumph for the boy, and each brave decision brings him closer to overcoming his anxieties. The English translation of this picture book, originally written in Spanish, conveys the intensity of the character's emotions through short, intentional phrasing. The words appear in white font against a black background, never interfering with the illustrations but taking on a unique personality because of their dynamic placement. Illustrations, rendered in a limited palette, include many scribbles, pencil lines, and a variety of human appearances-usually people are white, but there is a brown gentleman, and in the classroom, everyone is blue. This decision provides a visual representation of the chaos the boy sees in the world, especially as he exists as an outline of a person within it. Markedly artistic in its approach, this book encourages contemplative study as important moments occur within many of the images. VERDICT Ideal for the SEL shelves, this book offers a thought-provoking story that gives a voice to children, on the spectrum or not, who experience social anxiety. It also encourages even the smallest victories.-Mary Lanniα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802855849
• ISBN 13: 9780802855848
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40