I Wish You Understood
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Lily strolled into the kitchen and giggled as she noticed Snow’s tiny, pink tongue slurping gravy from a dish in the corner of the room. She smiled as she reminisced about the day her mommy brought the little nugget home. Lily named her kitten Snow because her fluffy, round body reminded her of a snowball covered in tiny specs of dirt. She was jolted back to reality from the thwack of the cereal bowl as her mother placed it on the table.
Lily seethed, “I’m not eating this! You poured the milk before you gave me the bowl. The milk has to be poured after the bowl is in front of me. Now I need different cereal.”
Her mother was losing her patience. She spewed, “Mind your manners!” and thought to herself, “I don’t understand.”
Lily didn’t mean to be difficult; the ear-splitting sound of the clattering bowl alarmed her, and she struggled when things didn’t happen in the right sequence. Feeling down she thought to herself, “I wish you understood.”
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About the Book
As a little girl living with an autism spectrum disorder, Lily’s actions are constantly misunderstood; seemingly simple scenarios are so much more than they appear to be. Lily can’t communicate why she behaves the way she does. As time passes, she becomes more withdrawn, isolating herself from the outside world out of fear of causing more disappointment.
This picture book for children highlights her perspective, a perspective she wishes others understood. It also conveys her mother’s inner turmoil as she struggles to understand Lily’s behavior as much as Lily’s longing to justify it.
Praise for I Wish You Understood
Living with intense emotions? This book offers invaluable suggestions to better understand and manage your feelings. We can all benefit from reading this beautifully written picture book.
—Joan Flender, MD
As a young girl on the autism spectrum struggles with the challenges of her reality, her parents come to realize they must see the world through her eyes in order to help her. An emotional, eye-opener of a story that shows the ‘why’ behind the behaviors and how a little perspective can go a long way.
—Anne Baker, Parent, Educator
Jackie Hughes has written a book full of heart and empathy. Her vivid stories can be a wonderful tool for parents and professionals to open a dialogue about the way thoughts, anxieties, and sensory sensitivities can affect a child’s perception of the world. This is a book that can provide valuable insights to many parents, children, and professionals.
—Michelle DeGraff, School Psychologist
This poignant picture book challenges all of us to take a moment to reflect, to realize that situations aren’t always what they appear to be, and that opening our eyes to a different lens can be a first step in beginning to understand.
—Cora Saxton, School Psychologist
About the Author
Jacqueline Hughes is an elementary education teacher and the mother of a child with special needs. She’s taught elementary school for nearly three decades and has raised a daughter with an autism spectrum disorder.