Did you know April is Autism Awareness Month? Today we are sharing a book by an author with autism as well as night-blindness and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). She wrote a picture book sharing a bit of what it is like to have these "invisible" disabilities based on her own experiences as well as to get kids imaginations going. The book is Eliza Dee's Universes by Rebecca Finch Vitsmun and illustrated by Victoria Mikki. It is recommended for ages baby through 12.
About the Book:
Like author and artistic designer Rebecca Finch Vitsmun, Eliza Dee is autistic and lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and night-blindness. This story depicts Eliza experiencing hyperphantasia as the sun sets and her vision fades. With the gorgeous Ukranian illustrations of Victoria Mikki, children and adults are loving this whimsical story.About the Author:
Rebecca Finch Vitsmun is an autistic author from Lafayette, LA living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She has a Bachelor's (B.G.S.) in Arts and Humanities from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and lives in Tacoma, WA with her spouse and five kids. For more information check out her website.
From Me:
This book shares a peek into the mind of an autistic girl, but it also may remind the reader of their own minds. Eliza Dee is neurodivergent and has physical conditions that are often considered invisible disabilities. She knows many things about the universe. She knows about the sun, moon, and stars, but when the sun goes down and her vision is impaired, she dreams of her own universes. They include being a pixie in a magical kingdom and a universe of spaghetti or flowers. Her creative mind takes her so many places.
Things I love about this book is it begins with a note about the book including Rebecca and Eliza Dee's conditions. It also explains what hEDS is. At the end of the book there is also a little bit of the physical conditions many hEDS patients would like people to know about the various positions they may sit for comfort and not to show how they can bend their bodies for party-tricks. The story itself and quick moving and explains a bit about Eliza Dee's intelligence. It shares a bit of normalcy and then Eliza Dee shares some of her dream universes and they are fun. The book invites kids to dream themselves. Let's face it in this world, we need our kids to use their imaginations more!
Rebecca shares more information about the various conditions and details about the book as well as activities for different ages: preschool, early elementary and upper elementary.
