Jo’s Special Gifts
Written by Mariam Shapera
Illustrated by Lorna Humphreys
Ages 4+ | 39 Pages
Publisher: Mariam Shapera | ISBN-13: 979-8-9896337-0-8
Publisher’s Book Summary: Join Jo, an enthusiastic, curious and sensitive boy, as he shares his autistic joys and challenges with you. This is an emotional journey that celebrates neurodiversity and embracing one’s own gifts. This heartwarming rhyming story celebrates the unique gifts that each person can bring to the world. You will love entering this amazing autistic brain as we celebrate Jo’s special gifts.
Available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mariam Shapera who is a family doctor and Autism advocate, was raised in the United Kingdom but now lives in California with her husband and three children. ‘Having to learn to advocate for my autistic son, Jo, I wanted to combine my love for writing children’s books with my goal of increasing autism acceptance. I have observed countless times the way Jo pursues his interests and passions and the autistic joy they bring him. So this book was born.’
For more information, visit the author's website, Facebook, and Instagram.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Lorna Humphreys lives in the United Kingdom with her partner, her two daughters and her cat. She works with authors all over the world and, through her illustrations, helps bring many wonderful stories to life. ‘My eldest daughter, Olivia, is autistic and struggles with social interaction and emotional regulation. When Mariam asked if I would collaborate with her, I was delighted to have the opportunity to illustrate a book that would mean so much to children like Jo and Olivia, to remind them of how special and gifted they are!’ Follow the illustrator on Instagram, here.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life Is What It's Called - What inspired you to write Jo's Special Gifts?
My inspiration behind this book is my 7-year-old autistic son, Jo. I wrote this book 3 years ago at the same time as my first one. It was put on hold as my first book was being released. I continued with it a couple of years ago and completed it. My autistic son has an amazing neurodivergent brain. He pursues his passions and interests, and I see how much joy they bring him. His enthusiasm for these interests inspired me. I am writing from his perspective. I also wanted to raise awareness of other aspects of autism, including autistic play, gestalt cognitive processing, and sensory processing differences. These were all things I saw in my son.
Life Is What It's Called - Since you based your character Jo on your son--what does he think of the book?
Mariam Shapera - My son Jo is 7 years old and still minimally speaking. He is unable to communicate to me yet how he feels about the book. However, just recently, when I obtained my author copy, he would take it and love talking about the back cover of the book. He scripts (recites) something from his iPad game whilst looking at it, and that brought me so much happiness to see.
Life Is What It's Called - What do you think Lorna Humphreys' illustrations add to the story?
Mariam Shapera - After I completed writing the story, it took me quite a while to find the right illustrator. I wanted joyful, bright, and whimsical illustrations. Lorna Humphrey has done just that and more! She has brought the story visually to life. Since the story is not a typical children’s story with a plot but more of an emotional journey, it can sometimes be hard to come up with what to illustrate. She used her great imagination, and we came up with some big ideas.
Life Is What It's Called - What do you hope kids take away from Jo's Special Gifts?
Mariam Shapera - Whether they are autistic or not, kids can learn to embrace their special gifts. Also, amongst families with non-autistic members, this book increases autism awareness and acceptance. In schools, it can help educate students on the neurodivergent brain- that there are other ways of seeing and processing the world around us. It also teaches different autistic traits, such as ways they communicate, autistic play, and sensory differences. It shows examples of accommodations, such as the use of a wheelchair and noise-canceling headphones. The book also helps normalize different modalities of communication by showing the AAC device.
Life Is What It's Called - What are you working on now?
Mariam Shapera - Right now, I am not working on any book. I am focused on spreading the message of this book and autism advocacy, continuing to work as a family physician, and taking care of my family.
Life Is What It's Called - Anything else we should know about?
Mariam Shapera - This book combines my love for writing children’s books and my autism advocacy work. I have observed countless times the way Jo pursues his interests and passions and the autistic joy they bring him- so this book was born.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for your chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Jo’s Special Gifts, a signed copy of Mariam’s first book, Up Up You Go, Jo!, and a $25 Starbucks gift card.
Jo's Special Gifts: Book Giveaway
This post is sponsored by Mariam Shapera. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.