Product Description
by Charles Gibson (Illustrator), Terrence N. Tullgren (Author)
Terrence Tullgren tells the fresh and inspiring story of a shy young boy who learns an empowering secret for making new friends by watching the community behavior of deer in the woods near his new home. To make friends, Donnie sees that he must make eye contact and show the deer a happy, welcoming face. His new observation helps Donnie break through his shy habit of avoiding eye contact and the deer respond with friendship. Donnie gains the confidence to approach a boy his age with the same warm, smiling face and a new bond of friendship begins. Originally designed for children with autism who struggle to connect with others, Donnie Makes New Friends provides a simple way for ANY child to understand a basic skill of human communication: eye contact and a welcoming face. The story is beautifully told, in words any child can easily relate to and understand. The pencil-line illustrations by Charles Gibson skillfully compliment the text and provide a wonderful coloring book opportunity to reinforce this important lesson. The cover is published in black and white as to not give the reader a preconceived notion as to how he should color the interior pages, thus allowing the child to express his own imagination and creativity. The result is a must-own book for any child. Tullgren weaves a story both touching and impactful for young hearts and minds.
Author Biography
Terrence N. Tullgren is an independent author, designer, producer and artist who resides in Miami, Florida. As a proud great uncle of an autistic child, he spent years researching and creating Donnie Makes New Friends. Tullgren was touched by his great nephew's talents and aspires to help the world better understand autism and its complexity. Tullgren was also astounded by the film Temple Grandin, about a person with high-functioning autism who succeeded in becoming a doctor of animal science and a professor at Colorado State University. Mimicking animal behavior and sounds helped Grandin connect with both animals and humans, which later helped her accomplish her professional and personal goals. Inspired by people with autism, Tullgren created this exclusive coloring book for children and families to help them understand and appreciate similarities and differences among us, and to provide a gentle way to teach the essential behaviors needed to make new friends.
