Killer Underwear Invasion! author Elise Gravel returns with a colorful, enlightening primer, This Is My Brain!, about neurodiversity and how brains work.
"Each of us has a brain," Gravel begins. An illustration of one of her distinctive, thickly lined, brightly hued figures points to its own visible, smiling brain. "Brains all look pretty much the same--like big, jellyish, squishy wads of chewing gum. Brains don't look like much, but they have many superpowers!" Not only do our brains control everything our body does, but they also receive and process information, are constantly working, "and keep learning new things our ENTIRE lives." There are different ways people learn, different speeds at which they understand information, and different approaches to processing emotions.
Understanding how brains work can help readers better understand themselves and their friends, Gravel explains. The author breaks down how brains function in an accessible way through simple, direct text and entertaining, approachable illustrations. Her focus is mental processing and how every brain is inherently different, leaving descriptions of more complicated elements of neurodiversities (such as mental illness) for more complex books to explain. Differences come in the form of cheerfully illustrated brains wearing different glasses, since every brain looks at the world through a different lens. Children curious about brains, who may need help understanding their peers, or who may be struggling to vocalize how their own brains work should find this title both useful and interesting. The message is clear: no matter how a brain works, it's a good brain trying its best. --Nicole Brinkley, bookseller and writer