Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

My 5 year old adored this book. We all have thoughts bouncing around in our heads. This is a fun way to visualize what that might look like.

"They're often weird and sometimes mean -- thoughts really have some gall!"

A rhyming book about our thoughts; great for teaching kids. I'll use this one with mine over and over.

A cute read-aloud on accepting thoughts as they are...just thoughts. Helpful for pre-K to elementary-aged children.

This is a good book to get you (and your child) to slow down. My favorite quote: "thinking thoughts doesn't make them true, no matter how audacious!" Truly, a thought is just a thought until you take action on it.

You can tell from the get go that Jason is a therapist. He just gets it. Working with our young clients on cognitive coping can be difficult. Building an emotional vocabulary is easy because it is more tangible. We see the behaviors that accompany feelings. Thoughts are different. It can be hard for a young kid to understand reframing and the role of self talk, positive or negative. Additionally, convincing clients (really of any age) that some thoughts are automatic and don’t mean that we have to act on them OR that by having them, we are broken or bad can be a HARD sell.

“Just a Thought” does EXACTLY this and more! This beautiful picture book normalizes thinking and breaks it down into language that kids are going to understand. The words are rhythmic and the illustrations are dynamic. Not only are you going to be able to read this book in its entirety during your counseling sessions, but you can also break it down into components for deeper dives into automatic thinking, the cognitive triangle, and ideas for slowing thoughts through meditation and mindfulness.

Yes! The power of our messaging! I actually read this to my 11 year old as she heads off to middle school. This is a great message about those nasty thoughts that can destroy a moment, a day and beyond.

I love this book! I'm excited to be able to share this book that helps explain thoughts to children. This can increase empathy, self understanding, and will help children learn mindfulness- and the descriptions were lovely! Will definitely be recommending this.

A cute picture book that brings both the concept of ideas and imagination into the realm of mindfulness. I loved the tips of how to tamp down some of the louder thoughts, and how to refocus yourself. I also loved that all kinds of thoughts were included in the book, and the illustrations were adorable!

This is a really great book to help kids understand how our thoughts work and what they mean. In an accepting, matter-of-fact way, kids can learn that thoughts come in all sizes and flavors, for many reasons or seemingly no reason at all. Kids are encouraged to acknowledge their thoughts and examine them, but not to give them outsize influence.

This would do well for a circle time or small group book for a wide range of ages--I'd say pre-K up through late elementary. There is a lot of potential to spark great conversation and a helpful exercise is provided at the end to reinforce the concept as well. The illustrations are fun, creative, and lively and will definitely hold attention while enhancing the story.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

What a great description for kids of how our thoughts work and how we can control them. I loved the illustrations and how they pair so beautifully with the message.

This book was amazing and it would be really great for storytimes! I think kids and even adults definitely need to read this book to know that your thoughts don’t have to define you. They’re just thoughts that come and go.

Oh I love this so much! The colors are bright and engaging, the artwork itself fun and whimsical. The story is accessible for all ages, though some of the words can be a bit big for younger audiences. I think this would be perfect for a storytime about our thoughts, feelings, or even just mindfulness.

In Jason Gruhl’s Just a Thought, many ideas are going through our young characters’ mind. Some of the thoughts are good, some are not so good, and many are random. The book seems to have a very targeted audience – children between 4 and 8 who are struggling with some of the thoughts they are having. In that respect, this book is a great way for adult caregivers to talk about the many different thoughts we have, including thoughts we may not wish to have. However, for many children, you can pass on reading this book, as it isn’t truly a storybook and not something one would just read for fun.