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Many kids suffer from an overactive Fight or Flight response, which can affect them in all areas of their lives. Follow Poppy as she explains some of her struggles with anxiety, anger, and friendships as a kid with an overactive amygdala. This book was created to help build understanding and empathy for children with a wide range of mental health challenges. This type of behavior can be seen in many children, including but not limited to those kids with DMDD, ADHD, ODD, Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, PANS/PANDAS, RAD, Autism disorders, PTSD, IED, and Conduct disorder, among others. While many of the children struggle with comprehension of their disorder, they all have one important factor in common. They did not choose this. As adults, we have a responsibility to build understanding, encourage empathy, and continue to grow our own set of skills and knowledge in order to best serve our most vulnerable population: Children. Poppy and the Overactive Amygdala
I love Poppy and the Overactive Amygdala. From the engaging illustrations to the easy and clear explanation the limbic system, this book is such a good resource. Poppy is presented from a child’s perspective, but I wouldn’t consider it a book for young kids. It doesn’t pull any punches describing the challenges these kids face and the darker side of how it can make them feel. Instead, think of this as the book you’ve always wished you had to hand to teachers, grandparents, friends, and other adults in your child’s life to teach and build empathy. Islam I was so thankful to find this book and it has definitely been useful with my child with extreme behavior! I am mom to 10, previous foster mom for 15 years and previous autism therapist so I was wearing all my hats as I read this book. I'm giving it 5 stars because the concept is fantastic and the way Poppy describes her feelings and perceptions and reactions to things is spot on. The part that misses the mark just a bit is the technical explanation about what is going on in the brain. As I read it to my kids I found I had to do a lot of explaining if I read the text as is so I ended up modifying it for understanding as I read, changing a few words here and there, so I could just read straight through without stopping. It is truly minor and the overall presentation of the book really is great and relatable.
Practical use: my 10 year old with extreme behaviors had a melt down with an in home provider. He stormed to his room when the provider suggested playing a quiet game instead of a loud game. His perception was that she didn't want to play with him at all ever because she didn't like him. I grabbed the book and brought it to his room and said, you just had a Poppy moment! We found the page that showed how Poppys amygdala misinterpreted what people said to her too. It actually made him feel better and he was able to see that the overreactive amygdala had struck again instead of logging the incident as him being a bad kid. Islam This book was very helpful to see things from my daughters eyes. The information, examples and easy to read text is great for all age groups. What really blew me away were the illustrations this book is a must!! Islam I had the pleasure seeing this book just prior to print and I cannot say enough good about it. From explaining how the limbic system works, to the symptoms of amygdala disorder, to the very intense personal feelings of the person with the disorder—it’s a godsend. Perfect for relatives, teachers, and children themselves (not to mention siblings) this book manages to be friendly and non condescending. I cannot recommend it enough. Islam My son was diagnosed with ADHD & DMDD this past year. I received my first copy today and read it cover to cover. Holly & Eric have done a wonderful job explaining why and what the brain does. I am purchasing copies to gift to a few teachers and will recommend to others. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to better understand many of the disabilities that this effects. Thank you Holly & Eric for your dedication and bringing awareness to these disorders! Islam
I read about this book on an adhd support page for parents and instantly went and purchased it.from start to finish it can be read in less than 3 minutes. It provided some information but like a couple of bullet points than anything indepth or worthwhile I feel completely robbed! Don't waste your money and save yourself 3 minutes to look for a worthwhile book! Islam Just wanted to say 'thank you' to Holly Provan and Eric Provan for creating this book. It had me bawling my eyes out with overwhelming emotions and when I gave it to my son, he hugged me tight and kept telling me thank you! He loves being reminded he is not alone and that there are others just like him out there in the world.🖤 Islam As a teacher for 35 years I know it is hard to find books to help children and families understand kiddos with neuro atypical behaviors. This is the perfect book to share so families can understand and kids can understand what is happening. It is also powerful for kids to read books like this if they have this type of brain. They start to realize that they are not the only ones. I highly recommend this book. I know I will be recommending it to teachers at my school and using it in my classroom. Islam Someone recommended this book in a parenting group I'm in and I am profoundly grateful for it. My kiddo is only 6 so some of this might still be a bit over his head but it describes him SO well and I want him to understand that his reactions aren't his fault but that there are things we can do to help. I'm buying extra copies for his school and daycare and maybe one to just lend out to people who interact with him on a regular basis. Though it's meant for kids it's great for adults too as it's very simple and quick to read but really get a great basic understanding of why he does the things he does. If you have a kiddo or know a kiddo who struggles with reactive behaviours I cannot recommend this book enough. Islam I LOVED THIS BOOK! I have sooo many books, and they're great and as a parent, I've learned a lot. I really like books that make it simple, and books that I can share with my 13 year old daughter who is so much like Poppy. The authors did an amazing job with the explanations and the art work, down to the exact thoughts that Poppy has. I thought I was reading a book about my daughter. It will help her to understand what's happening because it's so scary for her to feel like this. Thank you for writing this book. I am sending copies to my daughters therapists too so they can share with their clients. Islam