When you think of a "squirrel," what kind of squirrel comes to mind? In South Korea, people typically think of a brown-striped chipmunk, while in the U.S., an image of a gray squirrel might first come to mind. Thisdifference is based on our preconceived cultural knowledge. Learning about the wide variety of squirrel species can help us expand our perspectives. I discovered that there are 278 different species of squirrels worldwide,each with unique appearances and habits. I believed that I could create an engaging experience by visualizing human diversity through a variety of squirrels. Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon; Walt Disney, the father of Mickey Mouse; and actress Emma Watson all share a common trait: they are all neurodivergent individuals.

I envisioned a story about a school for squirrels to introduce the concept of neurodiversity; how the diverse connections between neurons in the brain can manifest as autism, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, ADHD, epilepsy, tics, Tourette syndrome, and more, through an easilyrelatable narrative. The process of creating something out of nothing was a challenging task. I spent countless hours researching-- ordering every book available on both Squirrelogy and neurodiversity-related topics from Amazon--even those not yet published in Korean. I connected squirrels' behavioral traits with some neurodivergent characteristics, creating episodes where squirrels from different countries transfer to the same school and share experiences. The English text in each story was written in the OpenDyslexic fontto support readers with dyslexia. There was one aspect I paid particular attention to when creating characters. I ensured that neurodivergent traits, represented by "colorful brains," were not depicted as something negative to be overcome or eliminated. Instead of viewing neurodiversity as an illness to be "cured," I spent a lot of time contemplating the kind of individual accommodations that could be offered to each character in order for them to comfortably live within their own communities.

Look for the hidden colorful squirrels in the story! Each of the ten squirrel characters embodies more than one neuro divergenttrait. Instead of focusing on specific medical diagnoses, I aimed to portray the reality of comorbidity.Ultimately, although each squirrel is different, they all live together as squirrels-- the daily experience of each one becoming part of the collective daily experience. This story uses a single type of animal as a metaphor for our society, delivering a message of inclusion. I hope it helps children with colorful brains positively embrace their neurodivergent identities, while also fostering understanding among their caregivers, classmates, teachers, and society as a whole.