My Quiet Place

For anyone who struggles with sensory overload, this soothing picture book offers a touchstone of understanding and encouraging guidance for finding your own quiet place--whenever and wherever it’s needed.

In our loud and busy world, finding a moment or place to think, dream, or rest quietly can be challenging. My Quiet Place highlights one child’s difficulty in dealing with the volume and action that swirl around her as she moves from the serenity of dawn to the bustle of breakfast, the cacophony of street sounds, the jostling of playground fun, and the everythingness of people’s lives packed together in a crowded bus or market. With focus and determination, she identifies all the ways she can find quiet when she needs it and even share it when someone else needs a bit, too.

Highlighting a common symptom of anxiety, depression, and ADHD, this compassionate and empowering book serves as a much-needed resource for children, families, and teachers. Light-hearted and relatable, it will make neurodiverse kids feel heard and understood and let kids who don’t experience this phenomenon hear and understand them.

MANAGING ANXIETY: Sensory overload is one of the many symptoms that can come with anxiety, particularly for people on the autism spectrum or with attention deficit disorder, and can present in big and small ways. Journeying through the character’s day, from quiet morning to peak challenges and back to a gentle night’s end, can help young readers recognize their own patterns and identify ways to find their self-soothing quiet.

GIVING LANGUAGE: It can be hard to identify sensory overload if you’re not the one suffering from it, and hard to talk about if you are. This story offers a wonderful opportunity for understanding, and a welcome chance for kids to see themselves represented.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: We’re all overwhelmed! This book will feel relatable to people who are neurodiverse and those who aren’t, giving everyone a chance to see aspects of themselves in these pages.

CLASSROOM RESOURCE: With its careful representation of neurodiverse behavior, this story makes an excellent jumping off point for teachers to spark dialogue, understanding, and empathy.

Perfect for:

• Parents, grandparents, and educators
• Neurodivergent thinkers
• A reassuring read for kids with varying levels of social anxiety
• Anyone feeling a bit overwhelmed
• Readers who enjoy the award-winning A Friend For Henry series, Too Much!: An Overwhelming Day, and My Brain Is a Race Car

Monica Mikai is an author and illustrator currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a BA from Rider University, where she double majored in Art and Elementary Education. She also holds an MFA from The New York Studio School, where she studied Painting. She is passionate about creating beautiful stories and illustrations that inspire readers to see life from a new perspective. You can find out more about her at monicamikai.com.