Just Like Me: 40 neurologically and physically diverse people who broke stereotypes

Description

The world is full of people who are a little different in one way or another. Our uniqueness is what makes us stand out and makes us who we are. You can never judge someone on something you can not see or even on the things you can see. We are all special. We are all unique. We are all 'different; not less'. A collection of true stories about inspiring people and famous figures from around the world, all with something that makes them physically or neurologically diverse. Reflective of our diverse society, this anthology features figures including Simone Biles, Selena Gomez, Temple Grandin, Warwick Davies, Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Hawking and Greta Thunberg.

Louise Gooding is a children's writer who lives in Switzerland with her partner and three children. Always a keen reader and writer with an overactive imagination, it was no surprise that after many years working in children's entertainment Louise channelled her energy and creativity into writing children's books. Louise loves the inquisitive nature of children and wanted to discuss topics such as mental health, neurodiversity and disability. Having a neurodiverse family herself, Louise is keen to help increase the visibility of disabled, and neurologically different people in children's books. JUST LIKE ME is Louise's debut book. Melissa Iwai is the children's book author and illustrator of Soup Day and Pizza Day. She has illustrated over thirty picture books during her career, including most recently, Thirty Minutes Over Oregon, by Marc Tyler Nobleman, Clarion 2018 (An Orbis PictusHonor Book for Outstanding Nonfiction 2019 and Junior Library Guild Selection). She lives in Brooklyn with her husband author, Denis Markell, and their teenaged son. Caterina was born in Puglia, in the south of Italy. She has always loved to draw. Since she was a child she invented stories and she put them on paper, she designed characters and she used to draw everywhere in her grandfather's country house. She was enchanted looking at picture books to catch every little detail. When she was 19 she moved to Rome and then Turin to study Visual Arts and Set Design at The Academy of Fine Arts. Caterina's works are inspired mostly by nature, everyday life, old photos and childhood memories. She loves to take care of even the smallest details within an illustration. Currently she lives in the Tuscan countryside where she works on educational books, magazines, children's books and drawings for different clients around the world. cathyhookey is a queer, autistic, non-binary illustrator-author from England who now lives in Texas. They graduated with a BA(Hons) in Illustration from Falmouth University, and has since helped make a kid's show for the BBC, designed gifts with LUSH and worked with many other clients worldwide. cathyhookey's detailed and evocative work uses colour, character, nature, and magic to tackle themes of trauma, mental illness, and navigating a neurotypical society. They are inspired by surrealism, dreams, mysticism, manga, and the resilience-brilliance of autistic, trans and LGBT+ people. By translating their experiences and inner world into art, especially narrative and comics, they hope to show others they're not alone in being 'different'! cathyhookey is also involved in LGBT+ advocacy work and writes a blog on mental health and art. They're currently writing and illustrating a poetic comic about a monk's relationship with an artist and designing an oracle deck of common creepy crawlies. Angel Chang is an illustrator from Taiwan. She was born with a sensitive heart and is drawn to observe connections between all manner of things. With unique ways of using colours and compositions, Chang's artwork often radiates both her wild imagination and sophisticated observation at the same time. After her many psychotherapy appointments, she has knowingly lived with her high-functioning autism symptoms for two years now. Angel's clients included Chronicle Books, Macmillan Publishers, The Washington Post, National Geographic, etc. Her first illustrated picture books Most of the Better Natural Things in the World has been longlisted in World Illustration Awards 2020.

"Inspirational" -- Kirkus Reviews