Sensitive by Sara Levine

Sensitive by Sara Levine

"You feel way too much." / "Will you stop being dramatic?"

This tender picture book follows a girl who is told she is too intense, too sensitive, too much. She's told to grow a thicker skin, but the words of others slip right through. They somersault around inside and press against her heart.

What can she do to stop the hurt?

She needs to take time alone to think and read, rest and create.

Thoughtful text, detailed collage illustrations, and an unexpected word puzzle combine in Sara Levine and Mehrdokht Amini's moving portrayal of a girl who discovers that what others call a weakness can also be a gift.

Sara Levine is an Art Institute of Chicago professor. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Iowa Review, Nerve, Conjunctions, Necessary Fiction, Sonora Review, and others. She received a Bridport Award for Fiction in 2008, a Pushcart Anthology Special Mention, and three citations in The Best American Essays. Best of Fence: The First Nine Years and The Touchstone Anthology of Creative Nonfiction: 1970 to the Present have both published anthologies of her work.