An uplifting picture book celebrating neurodiversity, starring characters from Lynda Mullaly Hunt's New York Times bestselling novel Fish in a Tree
Oliver’s brain is a volcano of ideas—always bubbling with questions. This makes it hard to focus at school, and sometimes he worries he won’t ever fit in there. So it’s a good thing he has a friend who reminds him that great minds don’t think alike. And that a brain that blazes with curiosity and imagination is a glorious thing. Featuring artwork showcasing all the wonderful things going on in Oliver’s astonishing brain, this uplifting book celebrates out-of-the-box thinking, the power of creativity, and the importance of being proud of the things that set us apart.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt is the author of New York Times bestseller Fish in a Tree, as well as One for the Murphys, which is on thirty-one state award lists. She's a former teacher, and holds writers retreats for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, impetuous beagle, and beagle-loathing cat.
View titles by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Nancy Carpenter has won the Christopher Award for her picture book illustrations. A graduate of Parsons, she lives in Brooklyn, NY.
View titles by Nancy Carpenter
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“Oliver, a neurodivergent child introduced in Hunt’s novel Fish in a Tree (2015), makes his picture-book debut. . . . While his classmates work quietly, he fidgets and involuntarily makes noises. His brain ‘blazes.’ He imagines his pencil as a rocket, and his mind fills with questions: Could a pencil rocket reach Saturn’s rings? Shay, the class bully, calls him ‘weird’ and ‘lazy,’ unlike ‘the rest of us’—but the things Oliver says to himself hurt even more. At recess, Oliver makes a wish: ‘Please…please make me more like the rest of them.’ Fortunately, not everyone is like Shay. Jada’s impressed by Oliver’s knowledge of ants, and Albert reminds him that famous inventors, scientists, and artists persisted despite being mocked. . . . Cheered, Oliver dubs Jada and Albert his ‘colony’: ‘In an ant colony, everyone matters.’ . . . Readers, especially those with learning differences, will appreciate the message that, like a tree with colorful autumn leaves, the world is ‘most beautiful’ when people are all different. Energetic cartoon illustrations cleverly convey Oliver’s vivid imagination as well as his emotions. . . . Affirming and uplifting.” —Kirkus Reviews
An uplifting picture book celebrating neurodiversity, starring characters from Lynda Mullaly Hunt's New York Times bestselling novel Fish in a Tree
Oliver’s brain is a volcano of ideas—always bubbling with questions. This makes it hard to focus at school, and sometimes he worries he won’t ever fit in there. So it’s a good thing he has a friend who reminds him that great minds don’t think alike. And that a brain that blazes with curiosity and imagination is a glorious thing. Featuring artwork showcasing all the wonderful things going on in Oliver’s astonishing brain, this uplifting book celebrates out-of-the-box thinking, the power of creativity, and the importance of being proud of the things that set us apart.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt is the author of New York Times bestseller Fish in a Tree, as well as One for the Murphys, which is on thirty-one state award lists. She's a former teacher, and holds writers retreats for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, impetuous beagle, and beagle-loathing cat.
View titles by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Nancy Carpenter has won the Christopher Award for her picture book illustrations. A graduate of Parsons, she lives in Brooklyn, NY.
View titles by Nancy Carpenter
Rights
Available for sale exclusive:
• Afghanistan
• Aland Islands
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Angola
• Anguilla
• Antarctica
• Antigua/Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bonaire, Saba
• Bosnia Herzeg.
• Botswana
• Bouvet Island
• Brazil
• Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
• Brit.Virgin Is.
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Cayman Islands
• Centr.Afr.Rep.
• Chad
• Chile
• China
• Christmas Islnd
• Cocos Islands
• Colombia
• Comoro Is.
• Congo
• Cook Islands
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Curacao
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Dem. Rep. Congo
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Rep.
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Gui.
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Falkland Islnds
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Fren.Polynesia
• French Guinea
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Greenland
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Guam
• Guatemala
• Guernsey
• Guinea Republic
• Guinea-Bissau
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Heard/McDon.Isl
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Isle of Man
• Israel
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jersey
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Mali
• Malta
• Marshall island
• Martinique
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mayotte
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Minor Outl.Ins.
• Moldavia
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Montserrat
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Niue
• Norfolk Island
• North Korea
• North Mariana
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Palestinian Ter
• Panama
• PapuaNewGuinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Pitcairn Islnds
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Qatar
• Reunion Island
• Romania
• Russian Fed.
• Rwanda
• S. Sandwich Ins
• Saint Martin
• Samoa,American
• San Marino
• SaoTome Princip
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Sint Maarten
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• St Barthelemy
• St. Helena
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent
• St.Chr.,Nevis
• St.Pier,Miquel.
• Sth Terr. Franc
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Svalbard
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Tadschikistan
• Taiwan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tokelau Islands
• Tonga
• Trinidad,Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Turks&Caicos Is
• Tuvalu
• US Virgin Is.
• USA
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Unit.Arab Emir.
• United Kingdom
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Wallis,Futuna
• West Saharan
• Western Samoa
• Yemen
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
Not available for sale:
• Australia
• New Zealand
Photos
Praise
“Oliver, a neurodivergent child introduced in Hunt’s novel Fish in a Tree (2015), makes his picture-book debut. . . . While his classmates work quietly, he fidgets and involuntarily makes noises. His brain ‘blazes.’ He imagines his pencil as a rocket, and his mind fills with questions: Could a pencil rocket reach Saturn’s rings? Shay, the class bully, calls him ‘weird’ and ‘lazy,’ unlike ‘the rest of us’—but the things Oliver says to himself hurt even more. At recess, Oliver makes a wish: ‘Please…please make me more like the rest of them.’ Fortunately, not everyone is like Shay. Jada’s impressed by Oliver’s knowledge of ants, and Albert reminds him that famous inventors, scientists, and artists persisted despite being mocked. . . . Cheered, Oliver dubs Jada and Albert his ‘colony’: ‘In an ant colony, everyone matters.’ . . . Readers, especially those with learning differences, will appreciate the message that, like a tree with colorful autumn leaves, the world is ‘most beautiful’ when people are all different. Energetic cartoon illustrations cleverly convey Oliver’s vivid imagination as well as his emotions. . . . Affirming and uplifting.” —Kirkus Reviews