Curious to Learn about Prasha Sooful and My Brain is Magic

It is with great delight to welcome the wonderful, hard-working audiologist, author and mum of an energetic little girl; Prasha Sooful is here to share and celebrate the release of her playful, wondrous and important new picture book, My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration. From buzzing bees to roaring lions, this book beautifully embraces and celebrates the sensory processing neurotype in an open, helpful and most importantly, fun way with gorgeous illustrations by Geeta Ladi that capture the true essence of a young sensory-seeker. 🙂

About the Author

Prasha Sooful is a Clinical Audiologist and Educator with Masters degrees in Audiology and Global Learning. She has worked clinically and in research and education for 17 years.

Born in South Africa, she now lives in Australia with her serene husband, an energetic toddler, a lazy German Shepherd, and an ever-growing book collection. 

Prasha was a recipient of a Varuna Writing Fellowship in 2022 and belongs to many writing organisations. She is passionate about diverse writers and stories.

Prasha can be found at her profile and Instagram.

About the Illustrator

Geeta Ladi is a children’s book illustrator from India.

For 11 years, she worked as a founding team member of the Navnirmiti NGO in Mumbai, where she gained vast experience working with children and designing educational toys. She was motivated by this to start creating illustrations for the joyful and magical worlds of children.

Geeta can be found at her Instagram page and Facebook page.

Author and mum to a neurodiverse child shares her journey in creating My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration …

Congratulations, Prasha, on the release of your newest picture book, My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration!

This is a vibrant, playful and informative resource that reflects a range of sensory feelings and behaviours in connection with those of different animals; helping children to understand the interactions and processes of the brain in a fun, relatable way. What else can you tell us about the themes in your book?

In addition to sensory diversity and brain function, I also wanted to bring out themes of empathy, understanding, and acceptance.

The theme of authentic self is so important for younger readers, so seeing a character who is completely herself, and secure with that and is accepted just the way she is, can be impactful.

As a clinical audiologist, educator and a mother of an energetic toddler, did you base your main character on your daughter, or a combination of children you have worked with? What can you share about this busy little person?

The character is my daughter, although now thinking back on it… I remember kids coming in to get their ears tested and they would be buzzing around the room, full of energy. Since having Maiya, I have a lot more personal experience and understanding of this area. She is a very busy little bee and always has been. I love that she is who she is and is always up for an adventure.

The story is written with from a first-person perspective about the child’s thought processes involved in varying experiences and interactions. Why have you chosen to present your book in this way?

I wanted the character to build rapport with the readers by sharing her personal story and emotions directly with them. I feel like the first-person perspective really engages younger readers where can they go ‘me too!’ if they identify with something in the book.

You have included some useful tips for parents and educators on effectively managing children’s sensory stimulation in a range of scenarios. How do you hope this valuable book will help children, their families and other professionals looking for ‘calm’ in their day-to-day routines?

So often, educators and parents are uncertain of how to help high energy kids regulate their sensory needs and emotions. I hope that this book helps in two ways: firstly, that kids can communicate their needs to their grown ups by using animals and that grown-up can identify what sensory input is needed by observing their behaviours. I hope the jacket poster will also provide an easy way for families and classrooms to engage in sensory activities in a meaningful way.

The illustrations by Geeta Ladi are gorgeously soothing and highly emotive at the same time. What was the collaborative process like working with her?

Geeta and I have never actually met in person, but she immediately understood the character and the tone of the book and came up with fantastic storyboards. She really captured the essence of a sensory seeker with her use of movement and colour. Geeta was amazing to work with and incredibly intuitive. We were always on the same page and there’s a lot with the character that we didn’t spell out in the text but were conveyed subtly through her illustrations. For example, ‘toe walking’ is common with neurodiverse kids and this can be seen in some of the spreads without labelling it.

Do you have a favourite part of the book?

I love the end spread where she’s asleep and we see all the happy animals swirling around in her brain. I also love the educational jacket poster. This was such a fantastic idea from Ceece Kelly, the creator of Soaring Kite Books, to make use of the inside cover in an innovative way.

Fun Questions:

• What is your favourite pastime? Reading, of course 😊
• What is your favourite animal? Crocodiles!
• What are your favourite children’s books? I love Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl books.
• Name five words to describe yourself. Daydreamer, hopeful, quiet, reliable, persistent

Anything else you’d like to share about yourself, your incredible work or your book, My Brain is Magic?

Keep trying, do what brings you joy and always be yourself!

Thanks so much, Prasha! It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and your gorgeous book! 😊

My Brain is Magic is available for purchase at:

Amazon

Join this campaign full of play and curiosity with Prasha Sooful and her valuable picture book, My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration, intriguing readers across the blogosphere! 

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