"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!” - Tom Angleberger
Autistic Joy
I wrote and illustrated this book to celebrate and support kids who might stim themselves, but also to share the joy of repetitive self regulation with parents, teachers, caregivers and peers.
A Sensory Journey
Throughout the pages of Flap Your Hands, four children navigate from sensory overload to self-regulation. The five bright colors initially clash but soon blend and overlap as the kids self-regulate.
Kirkus Reviews says
“The stunning, textured illustrations practically vibrate with color and sound, depicting the world the way a hypersensitive child might perceive it.”
“A beautiful book with an important message for autistic children and those who know them.”
Booklist Says
“This beautiful book celebrates the action of stimming as a means of emotional regulation.”
“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 of the same kids using stimming as a positive outlet for their feelings.”
Publisher’s Weekly Says
“Four children flutter, flap, and rock their way from overwhelmed to centered in an arrestingly illustrated introduction to the concept of self-regulatory movement from Asbell, making his picture book debut.”
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!”
