Drawing on her child’s experiences living with Tourette’s and the shape-shifting “aswang” of traditional Philippine folklore, The Curiosities shows neurodiversity in a new light. Set in a Filipino village, the story is of a boy named Miro at a time when “the Curiosities” come. These odd creatures, appearing as apparitions, gradually influence how Miro sees things and interacts with his world. Becoming overwhelmed by the cacophony of their antics, Miro grasps onto threads that pull him back into a calm reality and help him manage the intrusions of the Curiosities. Using the Procreate app, Lesnie unveils aspects of the story in full-page colour illustrations. Notes from the author and illustrator reveal inspiration for the story and its artwork. The Curiosities is on the Kirkus Best Books of the Year List for 2022 and won the 2021 Aurealis Award. Fraillon received the Aurealis Award in 2020 for her book, The Lost Soul Atlas.

Other End Matter: Author and illustrator notes
Images: Colour illustrations
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Source: Books BC - BC Books for Schools

Zana Fraillon's profile page

Phil Lesnie's profile page

Zana Fraillon was born in Melbourne, but spent her early childhood in San Francisco. Zana spent a year in China teaching English and now lives in Melbourne with her three children, husband and two dogs. When Zana isn't reading or writing, she likes to explore the museums and hidden passageways scattered across Melbourne. Zana has won and been shortlisted for some of the most prestigious prizes in children’s literature: Her 2016 novel The Bone Sparrow won the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the Amnesty CILIP Honour. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Gold Inky and the CILIP Carnegie Medal, as well as the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards, and the Queensland Literary Awards.

Phil Lesnie is a Sydney-based illustrator of children's books. He is also a children's bookseller. It is entirely possible that he hasn't read a title written for adults since he became one. He works primarily in watercolour, because in a watercolour painting even mistakes look lovely. He is the illustrator of Feathers, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in 2018. His first three books were CBCA Notable books in 2015, 2016 and 2018. But his first cat, Cassidy, is notable all of the time.

Winner of the 2021 Aurealis Award for Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Book

​​“Readers young and old will be touched by the book’s depths and awakened to a less common, yet infinitely human life experience—not to invoke pity or fear, but to conjure understanding, awe, and interconnectedness.”
—Booklist Review

“Winning and wondrous, this picture book is a compelling appreciation of neurodiversity.”
—Kirkus STARRED Review

"This absorbing picture book gives substance to a child’s neurodiversity….set in an Indigenous Philippine community, the story is magical…..For ages 5-9, especially caregivers who want to honor neurodiversity as part of the spectrum of being human. It would work as a read aloud or as bibliotherapy."
—Youth Services Book Review
“A worthwhile and compelling addition for all collections seeking titles to support parents and teachers of children with anxiety or neurological ­conditions.”
—School Library Journal (STARRED)