Bronx Moms Collective

A Mother’s Story:

Some of the most meaningful moments in my life happened during story time.

Long before I ever thought about writing a children’s book, I simply loved reading with my students especially the ones who needed a little more time, a bit more support, or a lot more understanding during the school day. There was something special about sitting beside them quietly, turning pages together answering questions, and watching how enchanted they were with the pictures.

What stayed with me most was not only their joy, but the way they experienced the world around them. Some children noticed sounds others ignored. Some focused on patterns in the sky, textures, colors of food and clothing ; tiny details hidden in street lamps, playground equipment or buildings that were in plain sight to them, but completely oblivious to others myself included. Some communicated emotions in ways that were easy to misunderstand if you were moving too fast to truly see them. Over time, those experiences stayed with me and slowly inspired the heart behind the story I am now writing.

This Mother’s Day, I find myself reflecting about the mothers I worked with in community; mothers of my students, co working moms, mother figures raising children and caregivers on the spectrum and how their experiences inspired the character personality for Wonder’s mom.

The mother like her son, is faceless all through the story. She loves her son fiercely, but she is also exhausted by the world around them. Different illustrations reflect her state of being where her facial expressions would be. Living in a loud, fast-moving city means there is always noise, pressure, judgment, and overstimulation for Wonder to process. She constantly feels watched whenever her son struggles publicly. She experiences the unspoken scrutiny many parents of neurodivergent children; the stares, the unsolicited advice, the assumption that a child’s difficult moment is somehow a reflection of “bad parenting.”

What hurts her most is not only the judgment itself, but the fear underneath it. She worries how the world will see her son before it ever truly knows him. Wonder is bright, loud, fearless, kind but gentle and curious. He’s already reading and writing at only three years old. He notices things other people miss completely and persistently questions why others don’t see it too. In a world where so much parenting now exists online, she fears he may grow up and read the negative stories adults told about children with developmental disabilities during their most challenging moments. I wanted to explore the complicated emotional space between advocacy, protection, storytelling, and dignity. I wanted to write about a mother who is trying her best to protect her child without hiding him from the world or reducing him to his struggles as so many children on the spectrum are so often defined by behaviors instead of humanity.

At the center of the story is a simple phrase the little boy repeats throughout the book:

“Guess, Mama, guess what I see?”
“Guess, Mama, guess what I hear?”

Through those moments, he slowly pulls his mother back into the present. While she hears overwhelming city noise, he hears rhythm. While she sees chaos, he notices reflections in puddles, repeating shapes, tiny colors, and quiet beauty hidden inside ordinary things. Wonder helps his mother slow down enough to experience the world beside him instead of constantly trying to pull him through it. I especially want both the parent and the child to feel seen while reading this book together. For the parent, I hope it feels validating and comforting. For the child, I hope it feels almost like hearing their own thoughts spoken aloud.

The book itself is being imagined with sensory-friendly storytelling in mind for young readers ages 2–5. I want the illustrations to feel colorful and engaging without becoming visually overwhelming. I want the rhythm of the words to feel predictable, and interactive something children can begin repeating with their parents as they read together. More than anything, I hope this story creates moments of recognition between children and the people who love them.

So many mothers are carrying fears, advocacy fatigue, guilt, protectiveness, tenderness, and hope all at once. And yet they still keep showing up every day to understand and love their children more deeply. This story was born from that kind of love. And from the belief that sometimes the people who help us rediscover the beauty of life are the very children the world misunderstands most.

Happy Mother’s Day to every mom who has their own “Wonder’s” in their lives.

#ItTrulyTakesAVillage – @bronxurbanvillageproject