It s Freddie s very first time at summer camp and he s certain he won t enjoy it or make friends. But it isn t long before a boy called Jerry helps him to see otherwise! When a child with Down syndrome joins a mainstream school many children can find it difficult to understand a student that is somewhat different to them. While the story encourages other children to be mindful and patient of the differences that exist between them, the story s main focus to portray the many positive personality traits of a child with Down syndrome and shows how their inspiring and uplifting their contribution to a group can be. I wish this book had been around 25 years ago when my son was first diagnosed and struggling to understand what dyslexia was. --A Parent Tom s Special Talent will help younger children to understand dyslexia. It balances the reading and writing difficulties caused by dyslexia with recognition of the many other strengths and talents which people with dyslexia have --Rosie Bissett, Dyslexia Association My daughter thinks that Tom's story is very good because it explains that they don't have to be good at everything in School. She said she identified liking the art and music and other things but didn't like the part of the day that had reading and writing. She loved the illustrations in the book too. She also thought that this would be a good book to give to teachers to read out to the class to explain what it was like for her to be a child with dyslexia. As for me I thought it was well written, beautifully executed illustrations and also at a level for most children my daughter s age to understand. I felt also that it is a book that should be in every school to help explain to children that everyone is different and that with help they can achieve whatever they wanted from life. --A Parent I first began work on 'the special stories series 1' in 2005. Drawing from the personal experiences of friends, relatives and healthcare professionals for my inspiration, it took me over a year to write the full set. My mother worked as a social worker for over twenty years in foster care, adoption and child protection. So even from a young age I was always very conscious of the struggles of children at risk. Now, with my own friends working as play therapists, social workers and teachers the need for suitable literature for very young children became even more apparent. Before writing the series I spoke to a number of professionals working with children on a daily basis. I discovered that many were being forced to use sub-standard and inappropriate material, totally unsuitable for young children considering the sensitive subjects they were dealing with. The objective behind the Special Stories Series was that children would no longer have to contend with leaflets and dreary booklets to help explain such sensitive issues as those address in the Special Stories books. Instead they could hear the story of a child in a similar situation to their own, with language they could understand, illustrated in a vivid and colourful way. This in turn would make it easier for a parent or professional to discuss their situation and any feelings of anxiety that their child might have. Through Special Stories Publishing, I look forward to creating many more books in the same genre as the current set, dealing with topics such as bullying, parental separation, healthy eating and illness/death of a parent or sibling. My hope is that books from Special Stories Publishing will help to normalize rather than ostracise these issues for young children in classrooms, families and crèches throughout Ireland, the UK and the rest of the world. Kate Gaynor is a graduate of University College Dublin with a BA Degree in English and Sociology. She currently works and lives in Dublin, Ireland.