Children’s books often embed a message that can transcend ages. Snoqualmie Elementary multi-language teacher Nicole Perriella-Rehmke has written just that.
The book, “Except For All That Noise,” stars a girl named Sofia who navigates overstimulation due to loud noises with coping strategies to face her fear and enjoy the world despite the loud things within it.
Some coping strategies outlined in the book include taking a break in a “cozy corner” or noise-canceling headphones.
Perriella-Rehmke said she hopes the book “reiterates the message that there’s nothing wrong with you and there’s nothing wrong with your child if they need to make adjustments or accommodations.”
Perriella-Rehmke’s self-published book was inspired by her child’s encounters with noise sensitivity. While addressing her daughter’s sensory challenges, Perriella-Rehmke began to hear the world through her ears.
“[My daughter] would react to things like if someone laughed too loud or sneezed too loud. She hated the blender, the vacuum, the fan above the stove and automatic toilets and hand dryers,” Perriella-Rehmke said.
As Perriella-Rehmke shared her journey through blog, podcast and her book, she said parents began to express similar experiences with their children and themselves, whether it was overstimulation by noise, texture or touch.
“The more and more I share this book and this message, the more I realize it relates to so many families and kids and even adults,” she said.
While writing the book and recapping her process through her podcast, “Manifesting Book Magic,” Perriella-Rehmke began to self-reflect on her body and how she is affected by and can mitigate her own overstimulation — especially at various hectic children’s events.
“If you need some downtime after an overstimulating activity like [a children’s event], that’s OK, and you can plan that into your schedule. Give that to yourself,” she said.
Another element of the book surrounds representation.
While the book drew inspiration from her daughter, Perriella-Rehmke wanted to depict diverse cultures and represent the multilingual learners she supported at Snoqualmie Elementary — many of whom speak Spanish as their first language.
“I wanted to represent a family with a variety of different cultures. I wanted my students to feel represented,” she said. “I wanted to add that representation to the children’s book world.”
In addition to Perriella-Rehmke’s teaching background, she lived in Columbia for two years and taught Spanish immersion for 10 years.
Fusing these experiences with the talent of local artist and illustrator for the book, Alicia Messner, the two “sprinkled little elements of Colombian culture throughout the story,” Perriella-Rehmke said.
Alongside her book, Perriella-Rehmke has created a supplementary journal.
She said the journal guides kids through feelings by showing pictures of different feeling faces — a chart of various facial expressions — accompanied by a word that identifies the expression. The following pages include supportive calm-down strategies.
“I’m very passionate about social-emotional learning,” Perriella-Rehmke said. “A big key piece of that is being able to name feelings with specific vocabulary and then use your calming strategies to, you know, self-soothe.”
Perriella-Rehmke said some pages are left blank for kids to write and draw their “big feelings,” while other pages include affirmations or strategies for parents.
“I really want it to be a practical tool that families can use, so [the book and journal] can go together if families are wanting to dive deeper into this,” she said.
Since Perriella-Rehmke published “Except For All That Noise” on Amazon, she has been awarded the number one new Amazon book under three categories. The book has also reached the shelves of the Snoqualmie Trading Company and Barnes & Noble.
Snoqualmie Elementary multi-language teacher Nicole Perriella-Rehmke has written a book called “Except For All That Noise” that offers coping strategies for children and adults with sensory sensitivity. (Photo courtesy of Snoqualmie Valley School District)
Snoqualmie Elementary multi-language teacher Nicole Perriella-Rehmke has written a book called “Except For All That Noise” that offers coping strategies for children and adults with sensory sensitivity. (Photo courtesy of Snoqualmie Valley School District)
