My Body, My Brain (Nicki Esler Gill, illus Inge Daniels, Scholastic)

Nicki Esler Gill’s My Body, My Brain (a companion title to the author’s My Body, My Rules) introduces neurodiversity in a generalised, accessible way for children aged 3 and up, using relatable day-to-day experiences to illustrate how individuals navigate the world in different ways, affirming at every step that ‘difference makes us strong’. Whether children need safe, familiar places or find quietness tricky; whether they struggle with ‘stormy’ feelings or need to connect to the natural environment; whether they feel shy or active, they are likely to recognise themselves (and their friends and families) in these pages and be reassured by the bouncing, cheerful and simple verse descriptions of the varied ways our brains work, culminating in the positive statement that we are ‘all important’, and not just for what we ‘can or cannot do’. Although the meter is satisfying and generally reads aloud well, the multiple analogies to explain difference and complementary diversity (creatures in a pond; ingredients in a cake) may overwhelm some younger audiences. Inge Daniels’s bright digital illustrations alternate between full spreads and vignette-style images, featuring a group of children with a range of skin, hair and body types, aiming for broad physical representation to accompany the spectrum of emotional needs portrayed.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Anica Boulanger-Mashberg is a freelance editor and writer, and a bookseller at the Hobart Bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews