Howard S. Billings student writes book on autism acceptance

By Jill Smeall

“Your goal is to write a story book for a Kindergarten class. If you take your time and apply yourself, you can make a really beautiful, finished book that we can share with some of the schools in the New Frontiers School Board.”

These were the instructions to an assignment that sparked a passion in Annabel Adewunmi, now a Grade 11 student at Howard S. Billings Regional High School. After completing her assignment – a beautifully written and illustrated book about sound blends – Annabel decided that one book wasn’t enough.

So, she set to writing her next book, “Our Brother Robin: On Autism Acceptance.” Annabel used her unique voice and perspective as an autistic student, along with her passion for art, to create this colourful book that seeks to demystify autism. With the support of art teacher Katrina Valade, Annabel’s book was scanned, refined, and independently published and made available on Amazon in March 2023 in both English and French.

Annabel then went on a book tour sharing her book along with an interactive presentation about autism over 20 times in nine different schools! She is now working on both a colouring book and a sequel to her first book, called, Our Brother Robin Goes to School.

Jill Smeall is Special Needs Department Head at Howard S. Billings High School of the New Frontiers School Board.