I’ve loved having a chance recently to work on watercolor art for my 2 #LivedExperience picture books about autistic girls.
Taking the care to illustrate the characters beautifully is so fulfilling.
And I love telling these stories — my stories, the stories of many others, the stories I wish I’d read as a child.
(1) If I Don’t, an autistic girl’s journey through perfectionism and overwhelm back to joy and peace.
If I Don’t is told in the voice of Penny, an autistic child facing a crushing fear of failure at what she most loves and needs — her art. It’s based on my own experiences as an autistic/ADHD artist and writer, as well as my newer perspective as the parent of an anxious young artist. For me, art is not only a calling but also an essential self-extension that allows for focus, listening, peace, collecting my world, expressing myself when words won’t do, and more. And yet, I’ve also had to work through many and multi-faceted creative and confidence blocks throughout my life. Every single time, joy is what brought me through; most recently, the joy of my kids when they read my stories. This story follows Penny as she finds her own way back to joy and comfort in her art.
Art in progress:
2) Esme, Herself, an autistic girl’s journey to unmasking her true self, told through magical realism.
Esme is an autistic/ADHD first-grader — and secretly a dragon. The story shows her perspectives, sensory experiences, struggles, and strengths as she feels overwhelmed by her struggle to fit in (mirroring my own childhood), and as she seeks the courage to stand out when someone else needs her help. Esme, Herself encourages kids to understand and value their own and others’ true selves, whether they are neurodivergent, dragons, or anything else.
Art in progress:
It is in the hopes of being the validating voice I wish I’d heard as a child that I now write these stories — and, it’s my joy to create them!
I’m seeking representation to bring these to publication and share them with the world.
Carrie Schneider Author/Illustrator 