Penny Particular is a children's book series about an autistic child named Penny. It explores the adventures and challenges of growing up from an autistic point of view. Our goal is not only to offer representation for autistic children, but to give other children and adults alike insight into how an autistic child sees the world. Created by a mother/child duo, the words of each book come straight from an autistic adult who remembers the hardships of being a child and the illustrations come from a parent's perspective on how autistic behavior appears to the world. Perfect for classrooms, counselors' offices, and your child's bookshelf!

We welcome your support. Please visit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/pennyparticular
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Penny
Penny is autistic. Her parents found out when she was very small, and they didn't know if they should tell her because they thought she was too young to understand. Penny wasn't as withdrawn as some autistic children, but she wasn't comfortable in social situations. She noticed she was different from other children at her preschool, mostly because her teacher was always scolding her for her behavior and didn't treat anyone else that way. Penny's parents took her out of that school and homeschooled her for a year, but they knew she needed to be around other children to learn social skills. Fortunately, the principal of a local elementary school had a reputation for her open-mindedness. After demonstrating her academic acuity, Penny was placed in Mr. Pasyan's first grade class. It was scary for her at first, as are most new things, but now that she has a teacher who understands her needs, she is flourishing and loves going to school.

Scout Yardumian-Grubb, Author
Though not officially diagnosed with autism until the age of 19, Scout knew from an early age she was different from other children. As many socially awkward children do, Scout found companionship in books and writing her own characters. Eventually she took that love of reading, combined it with her Special Interest in Egyptology, and earned a double degree in Ancient Studies and English from UMBC, an honors university. She is now taking her writing skills further by earning a second degree in film with the objective of writing historically and culturally accurate screenplays. However, she has been dabbling with writing children’s books and Penny Particular was the first character she truly connected with, since Penny’s stories are largely autobiographical.

Scout can be reached using the form on the contact page or: scout@pennyparticular.net

Mira Yardumian, Illustrations
Mira’s life has always been filled with art in one form or another. Her father is classical composer, Richard Yardumian, and her brother, Nishan, was an accomplished artist. Nishan was Mira's go-to teacher until he passed away at the age of 39. With a few exceptions, Mira ceased illustrating for the next twenty-eight years, during which time she and her husband raised two [step]sons and two daughters. In her late 50s she started a company making plant-based raw granola. Not able to continue running the company on her own, and uncertain what to do after closing Mira's Homemade, her younger daughter, Scout, began writing the Penny Particular series in an effort to help her mom transition away from her business while also hoping to motivate her to resume illustrating. It worked. Mira considers illustrating the tender and precious lives of Penny and her friends an honor, but her favorite character of the series will always be Penny's author! 

Mira can be reached using the form on the contact page or: mira@pennyparticular.net