The Heart of the Alphabet

Says author Erica Anderson:

My inspiration for this book arose from a situation when my son, who is diagnosed PDD/NOS, came home from school and wrote me a letter using negative words to describe himself. He was initially hesitant to talk with me about his letter, so I wrote him a letter back using positive words to describe what an amazing person he is.

At the time of the incident I was enrolled in classes to complete my teaching degree, and one assignment given was to create an ABC book. While thinking about the letter my son had written, I began to think of other words I could have used to describe him. I realized I could turn this assignment into a gift, a little something to help him get through difficult days.

I enlisted my friend and classmate Katie Wendt to help complete and illustrate this book. It was never our intention to publish this book, but after completing it, we had friends and co-workers urging us to do so, believing that it could benefit other children.

After this book was completed, my son took the letter that I wrote him and hung it on his wall. He then asked me to find more positive words from the book to add to his letter. I hope that other children can find a bit of themselves in the pages of this book as well.


Publisher's website: http://sbprabooks.com/EricaAndersonandKatieWendt