Sara Levine’s “Sensitive” is a sweet story about a girl who has big feelings. She is criticized for her sensitivity with words that press against her heart. Then, after some alone time and rest, she realizes that those words can be changed to affirmations to celebrate who she is as an individual.

Mehrdokht Amini’s collage illustrations help the reader visualize the impact of hurtful phrases and the joy of rest and recovery.


I love the acknowledgement that sometimes sensitive individuals need alone time to do quiet activities such as read books or just be in nature. If you have a sensitive kiddo or were a sensitive kiddo yourself, this book is for you.


This book is great for kids and grown-ups. It will help readers better understand themselves and those they might know who are more sensitive to the world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Carolrhoda Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

“You’re too sensitive! Grow a thicker skin! But no one gave her directions for how to do that.”

I relate to this book. I was told I felt too much as a kid but nobody ever really explained how to feel *less*. So I stopped sharing my feelings because they weren’t going to be respected anyway. I needed this book when I was younger, to feel less alone, to get advice from someone else on how to process being sensitive. I liked that the author included tips and steps that helped them cope with being sensitive. Overall, this was a great book.

The illustrations are simple and eye-catching. My concern is that it reads like a very young children's book (I would think ages 3-7ish), but the concept is likely for children a bit older (I wouldn't tell my 6 year old that she's too sensitive, or use those terms directly). Overall, I love the concept and the message of the book.

For anyone who feels deeply and intensely or who have been told they are too emotional ❤️ This is such an important and timeless read. It's also incredibly validating and will make you feel seen. The illustrations are so fitting and enrich the book. I am so glad that this book exists, thank you.

A beautiful and important story that will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever been called "too sensitive." The whole book is visually stunning, with the text and illustrations interwoven in a way that really immerses you in the protagonist's emotional experience. My only concern is that it might be TOO immersive and intense for sensitive young readers, particularly given that there are so many more pages devoted to insults hurled at the girl compared to the single page at the end that reframes her sensitivity in a positive light.

The way that this reframe occurs is particularly brilliant, although - potential spoiler ahead - I wonder if it would have been clearer to young readers if it was done at the level of whole words rather than individual letters, and maybe even depicted as a more collage-like process involving scissors and tape.

Overall, while the book beautifully conveys the soul-crushing experience of being a sensitive kid surrounded by people who don't understand you, I would love to see a more symmetrical story that devotes equal time to the words that tear us down and those that build us back up. This could also be an opportunity to highlight more of the benefits of sensitivity, as described in the author's note. I did appreciate both the author's note and the "tips for a sensitive kid" page at the end of the book, which do a lovely job of not pathologizing sensitivity while acknowledging both its gifts and challenges.