About the Author


- Erica Boswell, Author -
This book series is a true labor of love.
I have a friend named Janetta Reid who has Spina Bifida, and she utilizes a wheelchair. One day, my grandchildren, who were 3 and 5 years old at the time, went up to Janetta and just began staring and asking questions. It bothered me because I felt like I failed to teach them how to interact with people who were different than they were. I went home and researched books, websites, videos and anything that could assist me in attempting to explain differently abled people to them. I couldn't find anything they could relate to at their age. I called Janetta's sister, Maria. and asked her what she thought about me writing a book that teaches children how to interact with Janetta. I told her how I wanted to do it and that I wanted to dedicate the project to Janetta. She was very receptive and gave me the green light to proceed. I wanted to be intentional but also did not want to offend anyone in this process. As I continued to write, I thought of other "abilities" children would likely come across in their everyday lives which birthed the entire series, The Ability Kids. The whole premise is to stop using DISabilites because it carries a negative connotation at times. So we are using the term, "differently abled" and showing exactly what differently abled people can do rather than what they can't do. Just like our slogan says, "We are showing the world our abilities without the DIS."
I pray you enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed writing it. Of course, the very first book in the series, "Layla The Flying Wheeled Hornet", is dedicated to none other than our very own
Flying Wheeled Hornet, Janetta Reid!