A six-year-old has become Britain’s youngest published author after writing a book on how to handle an autistic mum – with a forward by Chris Packham.
Heath Grace wrote and illustrated My Mummy is Autistic when he was just five, and the book is going on sale on Thursday, October 22.
In the book, Heath explains what it is like living with a parent who suffers from autism – and is peppered with illustrations to make it easier for children to understand.
His mum, Joanna from Carnkie, near Redruth, Cornwall, said she was incredibly proud of her son – and doubly so when the book got backing from celebrity naturalist Christ Packham.
Joanna said: “I am always very proud of Heath, and of course I’m proud of this, but more astonished as I never imagined it would get published.
“We have a system when we go shopping, he writes a shopping list and checks it off in the supermarket.
“I’m a primary school teacher so I have always looked for ways to make writing purposeful for him.
“He has made lists to help ‘forgetful mummy’ since before he could write.
“He used to be able to tell me from scribbles on a piece of paper what we had missed from our weekly shop.
“It also helps to have him engaged in the shopping, otherwise it’s very boring.
“In a pre lockdown world we were in ASDA he was riding on the front of the trolley checking the list, leaping off when he saw stuff we needed.”
From a young age, Heath learned how to live with his mum’s condition and had to adapt his own behaviour.
Joanna coninued: “My autism means I process language more slowly than the next person might. I hear and understand it all, it just buffers a little as it goes in.
“On this particular day he was talking super fast because whatever it was he was telling me about was very exciting to him.
“Somewhere mid sentence he spotted something on a shelf that was on his list and said ‘stop’.
“I was still several words back in the sentence so I did not stop, and he leapt from the trolley. Landing in front right where I was heading. I ran over his foot.
“He was hurt, but more offended. I said sorry and as he wasn’t really hurt we continued on just fine.
“But I was thinking as we went around that I couldn’t promise him I wouldn’t do it again.
“I explained to him that I have a different brain, it is something we had talked about before, and that it meant words lined up in my head and I hadn’t heard his word as it hadn’t got to the front of the line yet.
“The next morning I checked whether he had understood.
“I double checked and slightly exasperated with me he got pen and paper to draw me a picture to prove he understood.
“The picture was a version of the one in the book of the words all coming at me, and it was so clear, so much my experience that I knew he understood.
“I suggested he do another, and said we could make a book. At the time I imagined stapling them together to make a little book at home, I didn’t imagine how it would end up.”
Now Heath’s book is finished, and the whole thing is filled with colourful images and helpful explanations.
Joanna added: “His pictures are a joy, and the crowd of parents waiting to pick their children up from school is my favourite image.
“Some are quite funny, the imagined scenarios of me muddling up words – taking off my clothes once in the sea, instead of before getting into the sea are fun.
“I think the book will help children and adults understand autism.
“We are already seeing from feedback online via twitter and facebook that people resonate for the text, several people have got in touch having bought a copy for themselves saying they’re now buying a copy for someone else too.”
Heath’s biggest fans are his parents, but he’s also get celebrity backing from Chirs Packham, from the BBC’s The Really Wild Show.
One of Joanna’s friends had down the presenter Heath’s artwork and Chris was impressed, and offered to write the book’s foreword for free.
Joanna added: “Chris’ documentary Aspergers and Me played a pivotal role in me understanding myself.
“People talk of autism as a spectrum and I would say Chris and I occupy a very similar space on that spectrum.
“Our friend Tigger Pritchard (whom the book is dedicated to) met Chris and showed him Heath’s pictures.
“When he agreed to write the foreword I hoped he would offer a brief endorsement, something that said ‘Chris Packham likes this book’ would have been wonderful.
“Instead he wrote a very touching essay that showed me aspects of the book I hadn’t appreciated.
“It was really moving and it has been difficult to find a way to express how grateful we are.
“He asked us to make birdboxes, in lieu of payment, so we made a really lovely one.”
Due to the coronavirus, Heath wasn’t able to have a proper book launch party.
Instead the teachers at his school, Stithians Community Primary School, organised a cake to be brought in for the book’s ‘birthday’.
Heath said: “We had a cake at school so I’m very happy. It is for the book’s birthday.
“I’ll not write another one, it wasn’t very fun writing a book. I want to be a magician when I grow up.”
Heath lives in Carnkie with his mother and his little brother, three-month-old Elias.