The illustrations are pretty. I love the inclusion of descriptions of desert animals in the back. I also really liked some of the text, especially where it covers the fact that sometimes Rabbit wants to play with friends and sometimes she wants to be alone, and either thing is ok.

As a sensitive child myself, I would've found the beginning/middle of the book a bit stressful, with the loss of their home. Maybe there's a better way to deal with that.

Thank you for the ARC. I will purchase for my library.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was so beautiful and heartwarming, especially for someone who’s also just as sensitive as Aurora is, this would be perfect for younger children who are navigating the world and its challenges. Staying true to yourself but also learning how to speak up for yourself, too. The artwork in this book is stunning, I honestly wish it was coming out sooner than October because I’m itching at the bits to buy a physical copy for myself, and my niece and nephews.

Do yourself a favor and purchase this when it comes out!

I loved this book. My son is highly sensitive and related to the rabbit in this story. He loved the other characters tell the rabbit it’s okay to feel the way she does and to be sensitive. This book helped my son see it’s not a bad thing to be sensitive and helped him understand what a boundary is. I will absolutely buy this book!

I am this rabbit. This rabbit is me. I understand what this rabbit is saying, and I know that kids will too. It's okay to be a highly sensitive rabbit, and just like the rabbit, you need to learn how to best work through those sensitivities.

I loved this book about a bunny in the Sonoran dessert who feels easily overwhelmed by her big feelings. She has a big heart and cares about others so deeply but doesn’t know how to calm herself. She meets other friends who live in the Sonoran dessert that help her with different strategies that help her feel centered again. The illustration is beautifully done and pulls you through the story dreamily. This is a perfect read for anyone but especially for kids that do have bigger feelings than others. A must buy.

Oh my gosh, I absolutely LOVE this story. I will always pre-read a story before reading it to my kids or the students that come see me in the library and this is one I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy for our bookshelf at home and at the school library!
This is a story about a rabbit who lives in the desert with her family of rabbits, Aurora has been labeled as being too sensitive by her brothers and sisters. After her home was washed away in a flash flood, she spends time talking with other animals and how she is called sensitive. The other animals she talks to throughout the story offer her advice on how to cope with being labeled by her family and communicate her feelings to her family.
This is a great story that checks many boxes for my school library as well as we are adding more social emotional learning books into our collection.
Added bonus were the pages in the back with information on the different animals and plants seen throughout the story.
Absolutely loved this!

Being a highly sensitive person myself, I was very curious about this children’s book.
I didn’t find out until 8 was thirty-five, and it was such an eye opener. Yet I wished I had known a lot sooner.
That’s why I appreciate such books being read to children, as it shows at a young age.

I enjoyed the story, the illustrations are wonderful too.
It explains how the rabbit feels, and what makes it different from its family.
Yet other animals give him tips about how they cope with stressful events.
Making the rabbit more secure and adapt to the situations.

It’s comprehensive to the little ones, a read to recommend.

Oh MY GOD, I loved this one.
Being Sensitive isn't a bad thing- this story tells us that.
Just beautiful!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7423289193

I like that this book provides a balanced view on “being sensitive”, but I have a mix feeling about the storyline.

Being sensitive, Aurora the rabbit catches some sensations others may miss: spring brings the cactus blooms, the warmth of the sun beating on the sand, or the scent of sagebrush after the rain. But it also means Aurora can sense the feelings of others, which sometimes overwhelm her, and she is often overthinking about others.

Though the examples offered in this story include her concerns whether the coyote howls out of loneliness or fear, and her worries about other animals during the rainstorm. I’m not an expert on the topic of high sensitivity, but in my humble opinion, I would view Aurora’s concerns as kindness.

When her family’s house is washed away in the flood, Aurora has a very hard time overcoming this adverse event to attend her family’s needs. While I follow the authors’ intention to represent judgements highly sensitive people often contend with, to be fair, the situation presented here would be very emotional to anyone, high sensitivity or not.

I like the part of the story where the animals suggest ways to help Aurora when she feels overwhelmed: Lizard recommends to sit quietly and soak in the sun. Cactus wren offers to fly away to spend some alone time. While these suggestions sounded good, I thought being quiet, staying in the sun and spending time alone are what Aurora has been doing all along, to the degree that her mom starts to worry.

Overall, this is a book which explores an important topic and offers a positive message.

Thank you to Sounds True Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this adorable picture book portrayed someone who was sensitive. Instead of focusing on herself, Aurora the cottontail rabbit worries about others too. This allows her to have empathy and understand how others feel, leading to many friendships.
Being sensitive is so often portrayed negatively but it's just a different personality. Aurora is a wonderful, likeable character. There is also information about other animals and plants in the desert where Aurora lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

4 stars

This is an illustrated book addressed to younger readers. Meaning and conclusions of the story, I feel it's not something that 'older' generations talked about while growing up. It's amazing that we can talk about sensibility and being 'too much' or 'too little' with children from the very young age and teach them how to cope with it and that's normal.
I'm also very fond of the graphics of the book which make the storyline more beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchage for an honest opinion! <3

I really wanted to read this story because I have a very sensitive child in my home and he is the only boy out of his siblings. I cuddled with him and had mommy and me time with him and read him this book. He loved it and had so many questions and ideas on how to help with his feelings. Yesterday I overheard him tell his sister to stop teasing him because it hurts his feelings and she apologized! I was so happy that instead of crying that she was picking on him, he stood up for himself. I will definitely buy a copy of this book when its published so that he can have his own copy and read it whenever he is feeling sensitive. I wanted him to see that other people (in this case a bunny) sometimes are sensitive and that it's fine and there are ways to manage our feelings when we don't know what to do with them. Thank you for writing this amazing book and for writing a book for the empath and sensitive children. Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced e-read of this book!

In the Sonoran Desert lives a little cottontail named Aurora. Aurora spent most of her time alone, preferring it to the noise and commotion caused by her siblings. When tragedy strikes her home, Aurora worries for the other animals and the land around her. As she speaks with other desert creatures, she learns to embrace her sensitivity and how to help manage when her emotions become too tough.
This story was really sweet, and the message was one that I think a lot of people (and children) would feel seen by. This book would be a really great read-aloud tool to talk about social emotional learning and strategies for big emotion with elementary students. The illustrations were nicely done and would be interesting for a child to flip through. I like how the author included real animals as the creatures Aurora interacts with in the story, and that the back of the book has a space giving information about those animals.

The Highly Sensitive Rabbit is a children's book about hypersensitivity, exploring the Sonoran desert and the animals and plants that inhabit it through the eyes of an emotional and empathetic young rabbit. Aurora learns to manage her emotions, one animal at a time, integrating advice for her everyday life, whether it's breathing, talking or setting boundaries. She accepts herself as she is, she doesn't need to change to fit in, and that's just fine.
Katy Tanis' drawings are gentle and the settings quite contemplative. The cover illustration and the last one with desert cottontail's mama bunny are my favorites, and really gives off something.
Finally, at the end, a reminder of the different species is presented, bringing this album to an intelligent conclusion.
A small ‘toolbox’ list with advice from the animals could also have been added to finish on a high note.

A truly moving story, The Highly Sensitive Rabbit offers valuable insights into the experiences of highly sensitive children. This book serves as a compassionate companion for navigating the unique joys and challenges of a sensitive heart.

Aurora's journey resonates deeply with anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by external stimuli or the emotions of others. The story authentically portrays the delicate balance between the rich inner world of a sensitive person and the vulnerability and the loneliness that can accompany it. Aurora’s experience after the flash flood attempts to highlight the essential role of community in healing and growth. We see how empathy and understanding can help transform sensitivity from a potential source of struggle into a wellspring of empathy and connection.

Reading The Highly Sensitive Rabbit was a deeply enriching experience. This book offers gentle guidance and affirms the value of sensitivity. It’s a book I wholeheartedly recommend to children, parents, and and anyone else seeking to understand and celebrate the gifts of a sensitive nature.

Cute and fun, my niece would love it. Has a good message about accepting yourself even when you're different. The art was good.

I loved how sensitive the rabbit was throughout the book. This book would be good for smaller kids, because it teaches important lessons that can be easily learned with this type of writing.

What a lovely book! The illustrations are beautiful — gorgeous colors and engaging visuals that bring the story to life. I also loved the names of the bunnies, so cute!

This is the perfect book for sensitive, empathetic souls. It helps children put words to their feelings and validates their experiences. While I imagine this book is especially meaningfully for empaths, it's an important message for any child to foster understanding of their peers and different emotional responses.

I liked how The Highly Sensitive Rabbit begins by showing us what it's like to be highly sensitive in various situations and then offers tools for managing those feelings. It encourages self-acceptance and emotional awareness in a very digestible way for children. And I thought the key at the end detailing the desert animals and plants that appear throughout the story was a great educational addition.

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

There was a good idea here, but some choices don't fully make sense. But first, what worked:
1. The main character, Aurora, is deeply in touch with nature and others' feelings, It will no doubt kickstart good habits in young readers.
2. The illustrations were stunning! Plants and animals were true-to-life, but also in beautiful watercolor an adorable detail.
3. Including various coping skills that kids can apply to their own lives was a very smart choice to make!

What didn't work:
1. The title felt...odd. It feels too rigid or formal for a kids' book. Additionally, I understand that it's supposed to make being sensitive a positive thing, but it actually does the opposite with the title.
2. The message was over-the-top. It's great that the authors are trying to show kids that being sensitive isn't a bad thing, and that it's actually pretty beneficial. However, you also don't want kids to take that message and become obsessive with it, which I feel like this book achieves (unfortunately). Put simply, there's a happy medium that needs to be found.

I used to be a highly sensitive child, and this book would have been perfect for me. Kids grow up with a natural sensitivity that the world teaches them to ignore as the world is cruel. I fell in love immediately with Aurora, who has never left that sensitivity behind no matter what the world brings her. She's taught by the parts of the world that she so adores how to keep what makes her her, and it doesn't crush her like the rest of the world would.

The fact that children are able to keep that sensitivity and love and empathy that they are naturally instilled with while setting boundaries and learning that people can accept them for how they are is such a heartwarming message and one I would gladly revisit over and over again.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC for this book!