Catalyst Creators: Scholarship for Children's Picture Book Manuscripts Featuring Underrepresented Voices

didn’t originally set out to become a children’s book writer. Writing grew out of the work I was already doing in education and behavioral health. Over the years I have worked with and studied children who are often misunderstood in school systems, especially Black children and children who are neurodivergent or have disabilities. One thing kept bothering me. The kids I worked with rarely saw themselves in the books around them. The characters didn’t look like them, communicate like them, or experience the world the way they did. At the same time, I have always loved stories. Growing up I was the kid who loved theater. My family and I went to plays at our local community college, and later I started traveling to New York to see Broadway shows. I have seen The Lion King more times than I can count. What always stuck with me was how powerful stories can be when people feel seen in them. That love of storytelling stayed with me as I moved into healthcare and eventually into my current work pursuing a PhD in Special Education. Over time those two parts of my life started to connect. My research focuses on how marginalized children, particularly Black children with emotional and behavioral differences, are perceived and treated in schools. I spend a lot of time thinking about bias, systems, and policy. But I kept coming back to a simple question. What would it look like if children like the ones I work with could open a book and see themselves right away, in a positive and affirming way? That question is what pushed me to start writing. The manuscript I am submitting is part of a larger ABC style children’s book that centers neurodivergent children and children with disabilities. Each letter highlights a strength, experience, or feeling connected to neurodivergence. For example, “B is for Brilliant and Bright,” which celebrates the creativity and intelligence neurodivergent children bring to the world. The goal of the book is not to frame difference as something that needs to be corrected. Instead it shows the many ways children think, feel, communicate, and experience the world. Representation is at the heart of the story. The children in the book are Black and come from a range of disability and neurodivergent experiences. Some communicate differently. Some use wheelchairs. Some experience the world in unique sensory or emotional ways. But the story is not about limitation. It is about pride, identity, and possibility. This project feels personal because it reflects the families I meet through my work and research. I often talk to parents who worry that their children are misunderstood in school or seen only through labels. I wanted to create a book that shows a different perspective. One where children are celebrated for who they are rather than defined by what others think they lack. Children’s books are powerful because they shape how young people see themselves and others. The characters children encounter early on influence their sense of belonging and possibility. When certain identities are missing from stories, kids notice. Diverse stories expand the world children imagine and help them understand people whose experiences may be different from their own. For children who share identities with the characters in this book, I hope the story feels affirming. I want them to see that the qualities that make them different can also be sources of strength. For other children, I hope the book encourages curiosity and empathy and helps them see neurodiversity and disability as natural parts of human experience. This manuscript is just the beginning of what I hope becomes a larger series of books that center neurodivergent and disabled children from communities that are often overlooked in children’s literature. At the end of the day, my goal is simple. Every child should be able to open a book and recognize themselves in the story. And every child should grow up knowing that their way of being in the world matters.