About the Book

Book: The Wonderful Way You Are

Author: Sarah E. Brooks

Genre: Children’s Non-fiction Picture Book (age 3-7)

Release date: October 10, 2020

Every child deserves to feel fully loved, fully seen, and fully known.

We all long to feel accepted and loved. Our special needs children are no different. Growing up with a disability or chronic medical condition can create a unique set of challenges and may leave a child asking questions like:

”Why am I the way I am?”

”Is there anyone else out there like me?”

”Where do I belong?”

”Is it OK if I don’t look, think, or move like those around me?”

Based on real special needs children, the book’s vivid illustrations and rhyming text help children, with a variety of medical conditions, see their story reflected on the page, because every child deserves to see their story told.

Unlike other books that focus on a single condition, this book highlights a variety of children with different complex needs.

Some of the conditions included:

Cerebral Palsy
Cystic Fibrosis
Gorlin Syndrome
Vitiligo
G-Tubes
Wheelchairs and Mobility Aids
Prosthetic Limbs
Limb Difference
Autism/Neurodiversity
Down Syndrome

When special needs children know they are wonderful, not in spite of their differences, but because of them, they are equipped to not just survive, but thrive.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Sarah Elizabeth Brooks is a special needs mom to a warrior princess and three fantastic sons. When she’s not writing or recording instrumental piano albums, you can find her dodging Mt. Laundry to sneak away with a cup of hot tea, some dark chocolate, and a good book.

Author Interview

Please give us a little introduction to your book.

Sarah: As the mother of a kid with a rare genetic syndrome, I wanted my daughter to open the pages of a book and see someone who looks like her. When I couldn’t find a book that reflected her unique needs, I created one.

The Wonderful Way You Are is a rhyming picture book geared for kids age 3-7. The book features illustrations of kids with a variety of unique special needs or medical conditions.

We based many of the illustrations on children that I personally know. I think it’s important for children to see and learn to relate to people who may look or think differently than they do. Rather than focus on one specific condition, this book highlights a variety of different diagnoses - everything from cystic fibrosis to prosthetic limbs or hearing impairments.

The overarching message of the book is one of unconditional love. When we can equip special needs children to embrace their uniqueness, they don’t just survive; they thrive.

I think kids today (and adults too) feel so much pressure to fit in and be accepted. When you’re a child who faces struggles that your peers do not, it can sometimes feel discouraging. I want every child who reads this book to walk away saying, “I’m not alone. It’s OK to be different. I have something special to offer the world.”

Do you have a favorite quote from this book?

Sarah:

Yes, I like every part of you.
I’ll shout it near and far
and tell the world I love you
the wonderful way you are.

Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?

Sarah: Besides being a writer, I’m also a pianist. I’ve released a few instrumental piano albums over the last few years (www.sarahebrooks.com/music). I recently passed two million streams on Spotify.

Which isn’t too impressive if you’re Beyonce, but if you’re a mom who recorded piano albums during naptime on a keyboard that she bought on sale at Costco, then it’s pretty stinkin’ cool.

In what setting do you enjoy writing the most?

Sarah: There’s a small locally owned coffee shop in my town, that is my absolute favorite place to sit and write. I have four small children at home, so it can be a challenge to write when everyone is home (plus when I try to work at home, my laundry basket usually glares at me menacingly). I don’t get to go there often, but it’s my favorite place to spend a few hours.

I rarely listen to music when I’m writing, but sometimes I turn on “Coffee Shop Background Noise” on Amazon Music just so that it’s not completely silent.

Where can readers find out more about you and your book?

Sarah: I would love to stay connected with you! You can learn more about the book at www.thewonderfulwayyouare.com or you can also find me online at www.sarahebrooks.com. I am also on FB and Instagram and Pinterest @TheSarahEBrooks

More From Sarah

I was always that awkward kid at recess who opted to sit on a bench with a book. Not because I was antisocial, but because I loved being able to experience new worlds and adventures through the pages of a book. As I grew, that love of reading stayed with me, and it’s a pastime that I hope to pass on to my own children.

While, I always knew that I wanted to write a book one day, a rhyming picture book about special needs kids was not on my radar…that is until my youngest daughter was born. At five-months-old, she faced her first brain surgery, with a second brain surgery following two months later.

When we received her diagnosis of Gorlin Syndrome, I went into mama research mode. I wanted to do everything I could to help keep her safe and prepare her for the future. As my daughter prepared to enter a preschool for children with developmental disabilities, I wondered how others would treat her.

The Wonderful Way You Are is a love letter from a parent (or grandparent) to the child they love. It acknowledges some of the unique challenges that can come with being different from those around you, while reinforcing the truth that we all have a unique gift to share with the world.

My hope and prayer is that this book will be a blessing to families with children of all abilities, that it will open up conversations about difference, and encourage and equip children to know that they are wonderful, exactly the way they are.

Thanks for taking the time to join me on this journey!
-Sarah