I have a passion for helping children to become more aware and understanding of our differences.
My children's picture books (Binkie & Friends’ Adventures) are intended to be informative, but at the same time they aim to capture the children’s imaginations through the use of vibrant illustrations and memorable characters. Each book is written in rhyming verse and includes a few fun quizzes after the story to keep the children engaged for even longer.
Say Hello to Hedgy is the third book in the series and is special because it explores the subject of neurodiversity. In this positive book, Hedgy the hedgehog describes his social and sensory differences.
My autistic son was the victim of school bullying and this inspired me to create a series of books to educate young children about our differences, with the aim of promoting empathy and kindness in the world.
Say Hello to Hedgy is now part of the ‘West Sussex County Council Autism for Schools’ Project’ and the ‘Sussex NHS Foundation Trust’ purchased a number of my books to place in their clinics to help parents/carers of newly diagnosed autistic children.
How Hattie Hears, the fifth book in the series, was published on 4th May 2024, in time for 'Deaf Awareness Week'.
A sixth book is now available, Oscar Finds the Treasure, which informs about Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and encourages strategies to help children with communication. This book has been co-authored with Anna Emilia, my new business partner, cogmazepublishing.com and also benefits from the guidance of Becky Clark, Fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and a founder of the RADLD (Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder) campaign. For more information and advice around language disorders see: www.clarkslt.co.uk.
Books are available from:
Julie's online shop or cogmazepublishing.com or Waterstones.com
Julie is a member of the Society of Authors and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB).