I Am Odd, I Am New

View the world through the eyes of a 10-year old boy with autism and a poem he wrote for a school assignment

“I am odd, I am new. I wonder if you are too. I hear voices in the air. I see you don’t, and that’s not fair.”

Step into the world of Benjamin Giroux, a 10-year-old boy with autism, as he invites readers to see life from his perspective. In this picture book, Benjamin’s poem, which he composed during a school assignment, takes center stage.

When Benjamin’s parents shared his poem with friends and family, they could not have anticipated that the poem would go viral. Now, for the first time, I Am Odd, I Am New is brought to life in an illustrated picture book that captures Benjamin’s world view.[AuthorName]By Benjamin Giroux and Illustrated by Roz MacLean[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Benjamin Girouxis the author of the poem I Am Odd, I Am New. The poem, now also a picture book (I Am Odd, I Am New), has received a Kirkus Reviews starred review and was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Benjamin is also an award-winning songwriter, was named poet laureate of Plattsburgh, New York, and has been the face of the National Autism Associations antibullying campaign. He has been featured in theHuffington Post and on theToday ShowandGood Morning America. His poem has been translated into several languages and made into a critically acclaimed music video, releasing in April 2022. Benjamin lives in upstate New York with his parents and pet snake, Monty.
Roz MacLean is an award-winning Canadian illustrator and children’s writer. She especially loves making art about themes that are important to her, like exploring emotions and diverse ways of being in the world. She has written and illustrated two books,The Body Book and Violet’s Cloudy Day.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]14 color images[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]An Autism Awareness Poem for Children – Teaching Empathy, Inclusion, and Neurodiversity to Kids Ages 5-8[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]14 color images[/ColorPattern]