The Autism Society of Minnesota has joined personalized publisher I See ME! to create a storybook series for early readers.
The series, the first of its kind published by the company, hopes to provide resources and support to young readers and children with different learning styles.
"For nearly half a century, The Autism Society of Minnesota has been serving individuals with autism from birth through retirement. All donations given to AuSM support programs and services in our local autism community," Ellie Wilson, AuSM Executive Director, said. "We are grateful to be selected as a charity recipient for this program."
The set of three storybooks - Mr. Monkeypants and Me, Crabby Crab and Me, Stinky Piggles and Me – features unique features like the child’s name throughout the story and illustrations. They also feature additional personalization including the child’s photo, skin tone, and hair color. The books also include a list of sight words in the back, so parents can keep track of the words the child has learned.
The series of books is meant to serve as a teaching resource for parents as their kids learn to read this summer before going back to school.
"What greater way to get a child interested and engaged in reading than to see his or her name throughout the story and illustrations? We developed the story to have short sentences and easier language to build the confidence of an early reader," says Maia Haag, Co-founder and President of I See Me!
With the launch of the new book series, the partnership hopes to captivate children at a young age and instill the desire to read. At the end of the partnership program, I See Me! will donate 10 percent of the proceeds back to The Autism Society of Minnesota.