After years working in children's entertainment, Louise Gooding channelled her creativity into writing. Louise lives with her partner and children, and as she and her family are neurodiverse, she is passionate about increasing visibility in children's books. Her debut, Just Like Me, is an anthology of inspirational figures who are neurologically/physically diverse, and was published to great acclaim.
This vibrant book is written by neurodivergent author and neurodiversity champion Louise Gooding. It is an excellent tool to help children understand both themselves and their peers. The language is clear and positive, complemented by colourful illustrations to show how no two brains are the same and that all brains should be celebrated. It's full of facts and figures as well as brief biographies of some well known neurodiverse personalities. It covers all different aspects of neurodiversity from dyslexia to ADHD. There are some self help pages on brain care and next steps as well as a very useful glossary to help decode some of the complex vocabulary. As ever with DK, it is a great book which is incredibly helpful for both home and school. -- Tash Hyde * Read for Good * No brain in the world is exactly the same as another, and they all function in their own special ways. Divided into four sections: Wonderfully working brains, which explains how brains work and which bit does what; Wonderfully diverse brains, which explains a variety of neurodiverse conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, synaesthesia, OCD, tics, dyslexia and many more; Wonderfully wired history, which shows the timeline of neurodiversity awareness and showcases some brilliant brains from history; and the final section, Wonderfully wired people, which tells readers about a selection of modern-day neurodiverse writers, YouTubers, composers, coders and TV personalities. There's also a useful appendix of words and brain terminology at the back of the book, with a note from Louise to young readers that acknowledges the uniqueness of everyone's brain and their journey in life. Readers are reminded that when they have questions about themselves or about any topics in the book, they should ask an adult - and that there's so much more to learn about how our brains work. Louise Gooding, herself a neurodiverse creator, has ADHD, and this authenticity of experience shines through in her writing. This is a welcoming and down to earth look at neurodiversity for mid to older primary aged children, and a tremendously useful resource that sadly has been all too lacking until now. Highly recommended for all. * Booktrust *