Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming

by Steve Asbell, Steve Asbell (Illustrator)

Overview

This fascinating, groundbreaking picture book by an autistic creator celebrates stims--the repetitive movements that provide focused stimulation to people on the autistic spectrum.

When you're feeling overwhelmed
And the world's too much to bear...
If your feelings bubble over
But they have no place to go...
Maybe it would help to move!
Want to try a stim?

When four neurodivergent kids face some stressful moments, they use body movements called stims to self-regulate their emotions. One boy tickles the space next to his face; a girl flutters her fingers by her ears; another boy kicks his feet like splashy flippers; another girl directs her hands like a conductor! As the children say fun words, flap their hands, and engage in other stims, their actions build in energy and joyousness until their inner calm is restored.

Delightful text and color-drenched illustrations by debut author-illustrator Steve Asbell invites other neurodivergent readers to join in on the action. Flap Your Hands is a wonderful celebration and reminder that stimming is a natural and healthy thing to do!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643794709
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	57 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Steve Asbell was diagnosed with autism as an adult and draws a comic strip called Stimmy Kitty that shares childhood experiences through an autistic lens. As a member of SCBWI, he was won the Rising Kite Award for illustrations. He lives near Jacksonville, Florida, where he can be found drawing and gardening with his family. Find him online at steveasbell.com.

Editorial Reviews

"This is big. This is huge. The impact that this book could have on a kid is incredible. And EVERY educator needs to read it! This book is so simple, yet it says so much! A mirror, a window, a sliding door. . . a revolution. The great taboo of stimming is broken! Within these pages, the shaming is cast into the dustbin of history and the celebration has begun!" — Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestselling Origami Yoda series

"Normalizing, destigmatizing stimming with these beautiful examples. . . I absolutely recommend this book: 5 stars, fantastic, with a flap, flap, flap. Go get your copy today!" — Kaz Windness, award-winning author and illustrator

"Children on the spectrum may well recognize some of the comforting and expressive actions described here. Vibrant, impressionistic illustrations created in Photoshop introduce four preliminary scenes of children experiencing sensory overload or overwhelming emotions before launching into gorgeous double-page spreads. . . The short second-person sentences give the text an inviting tone that furthers the book's uplifting and inclusive messaging." — Booklist

"This is truly a celebration of neurodiversity that goes against decades—perhaps centuries—of stigma and tells kids that stimming isn't just OK; it's liberating. A beautiful book with an important message for autistic children and those who know them." — Kirkus Reviews

"An arrestingly illustrated introduction to the concept of self-regulatory movement. . . Relying on this emphatic visual manifestation to contextualize feelings of dysregulation, this aptly experiential representation of stimming foregrounds the idea that 'no feeling is too huge to handle—// No noise too jarring to bear—// When everyone's allowed to stim// And celebrate who they are!'" — Publishers Weekly

Best Books for Kids 2024 - THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Best of the Best Books 2024 - Chicago Public Library
Denver Public Library Staff Picks for Kids 2024 - Denver Public Library
Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award Nominee 2026 - Brigham Young University
Notable Books for a Global Society 2025 - International Literacy Association (ILA)

From the Publisher

2023-12-16
Autistic children use stimming to cope with stressful situations.

The book follows four racially diverse children, each of whom ends up in an overstimulating situation, such as the cacophony of traffic. By stimming—defined in an author’s note as “repetitive, self-stimulating behavior”—they can regulate their emotions. Asbell cleverly leaves a white border around images depicting the overwhelming situations and fills the page when portraying positive sensory experiences, immersing readers in these scenes. The stunning, textured illustrations practically vibrate with color and sound, depicting the world the way a hypersensitive child might perceive it. Color and shape convey both pleasant and unpleasant sensations and capture the joy and satisfaction of the children’s personal stims. The text reads awkwardly, however, as though it initially had a poetic meter that was abandoned. In general, the verse doesn’t rhyme, yet there are moments when rhymes seem to build and are then forgotten. Still, the core message is clear, validating, and meaningful. This is truly a celebration of neurodiversity that goes against decades—perhaps centuries—of stigma and tells kids that stimming isn’t just OK; it’s liberating.

A beautiful book with an important message for autistic children and those who know them. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews