A children’s author from Andover is set to release her debut book aimed at supporting young readers, including those with neurodiverse needs.
Emma Evans, 27, will publish her first book, The Adventures of Unidog and Owlguin: To the End of the Rainbow, on Friday 5 December.
The story is written for all children but has been carefully designed with neurodiversity in mind. It follows best friends Unidog and Owlguin as they face seemingly insurmountable challenges, learning to overcome them by working together and using their individual strengths.
Emma’s journey to becoming an author is closely tied to her own experiences. She had a speech delay as a child and received speech therapy until the age of seven. A later diagnosis of dyslexia did not prevent her from progressing to university, where she achieved an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Educational Neuroscience. She now works for the NHS as an Assistant Psychologist.
Drawing on these experiences, Emma has created a story with a clear message: by using strategies that work for them, the characters are able to solve problems that once felt impossible.
Speaking about her motivation for writing the book, Emma explained that she wanted to create something engaging for children who struggle with reading and language. She hopes the book will support language development while making reading enjoyable and interactive.
She also hopes the story encourages parents and teachers to read with children in creative ways, turning reading into a shared activity through games, sounds and imaginative engagement.
Emma highlighted the challenges faced by neurodiverse children in education, noting that around one in ten children in each classroom is dyslexic, yet awareness and support can be limited due to funding pressures, staffing constraints and a lack of resources.
Recalling her own school experience, she explained that she disliked reading and found traditional approaches unengaging, often struggling to retain what she had read. This has influenced her belief that reading should be fun, active and brought to life through puzzles, riddles and sound-based learning.
The book has been specifically adapted to support neurodiverse readers. Pages feature an off-white background to reduce visual contrast, which can be challenging for children with dyslexia. The font size is larger than standard children’s books, and the story includes language-based riddles designed to aid development.
Emma hopes the book will resonate with children who may find reading difficult, including those with dyslexia or ADHD, while reinforcing the message that everyone has different strengths they can use throughout their lives.
The book has been more than four years in the making, written alongside Emma’s full-time role during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She also hopes it will provide parents with fresh ideas for supporting their child’s language development and help spark wider conversations about neurodiversity.
The Adventures of Unidog and Owlguin: To the End of the Rainbow is written by Emma Evans and published by Austin Macauley. It is released on Friday 5 December and will be available from retailers including Amazon, Waterstones and Tea Leaves and Reads in Weyhill.
The book can be purchased from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Unidog-Owlguin-End-Rainbow/dp/1398478741