Championing differences through reading
I Don't Like Loud Noises aims to show children to be proud of their differences and that we need to accept each other just the way we are.
Dean Newfield has always enjoyed the creative outlet of writing. In his younger years, he used to write poetry, but he told The AJN that he had always loved the idea of writing a children’s book.
The author and assistant teacher is currently working at a special needs school, “surrounded by children who have lots of differences and all unique character traits”. He said the children made him realise that he could create something that can make a difference.
Newfield explained that while there are a lot of books about being different, he hadn’t seen any books like what he has written – I Don’t Like Loud Noises.
“There was a book I read the other day that was really interesting about ‘boys can be anything’,” he recalled. “It’s a story of how boys can be tall, short, they can wear dresses. It was really unique. But I haven’t seen any that are specifically related to things such as autism. I don’t know if it’s a topic that authors don’t really want to address because it needs to be done in a certain way.”
For Newfield, his aim is to show children to be proud of their differences, that it’s ok to be different and that we need to accept each other just the way we are. The author also wants to encourage a love of reading.
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