Today My Brain Is a Dinosaur
An award-winning, authentic perspective on neurodiversity.
One boy tries his hardest to do what is expected of him, but his brain just refuses to cooperate. Today it’s a DINOSAUR! And tomorrow a raging bull. Who knows what might come next? He tries to cope but sinks deeper into despair as his world feels more and more unmanageable. In the midst of a hurricane-brain, his family pulls him back to calmer waters. The boy learns to use his unique moods and mind-sets to their best advantage, stay flexible, and, when in doubt, ask for help.
This Own Voices, Own Stories Grand Prize Winner gives readers an authentic glimpse into what life can feel like for kids with autism, ADHD, and other neurodivergent traits.
| Interest Level | Kindergarten - Grade 3 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 1 |
| Dewey | E |
| Lexile | |
| ATOS Reading Level | |
| Guided Reading Level | L |
| Publisher | Sleeping Bear Press |
| Series | Own Voices, Own Stories |
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Available Formats | Hardcover (9781534113541), PDF (9781668955918), ePub (9781668955406), Hosted ebook (9781668955574), Kindle (9781668955741) |
| Copyright | 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Dimensions | 9 x 11 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
Author: Jedidiah Mora
Jedidiah Mora never thought he’d write a book. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he has worked in the water industry his entire career, drilling wells and operating pumping stations. As an adult, finally being diagnosed with ADHD put a lot of things in perspective and helped him recognize how best to channel his neurodivergent strengths. He is happiest when, armed with tools, he is figuring out how to make things work. He enjoys mechanical engineering, off-roading, overlanding, and audiobooks. And tools. Especially tools. He currently lives in the Houston area, where he and his wife, Kyla, spend their spare time volunteering and chasing their four rambunctious rescue animals.
Author: Kyla Mora
Kyla Mora is a high school teacher with a decade of experience teaching literature, English, and journalism. She is also a published journalist whose reporting carried her from local papers in Texas to the USA Today network outlet in Guam. As a neurodivergent kid, she learned how to harness the ways her brain worked differently from others through her own experience and from her mother, a special education teacher. She is a lifelong bookworm who loves fiction and film, acts in local theater productions, and can’t stop rescuing abandoned animals. She lives in the Houston, Texas, area with her husband, Jedidiah.
Illustrator: Mette Engell
Mette Engell is a self-taught children’s illustrator and surface designer. She grew up in northern Zealand, the largest island in Denmark, and studied biology at the University of Copenhagen, where she earned her degree in marine biology. She has always loved coming up with stories and characters, so after her first child was born, she picked up her pencil and hasn’t put it down since. Today, she lives by the ocean in Denmark with her husband and their three kids, two cats, and a lionhead bunny in a blue house filled with art supplies, picture books, and Legos.
| Awards |
| Original artwork |
| Full-color illustrations |