The Great Changeup
The inaugural book of the Friends of Franklin County series, "The Great Change-Up" is a story of a young baseball player struggling to win and finding the answer with the most unlikely friend. "The Great Change-Up" and all books from The Friends of Franklin County are resources for children to understand how to accept and befriend those with different abilities.
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About the Series
This children’s book series was inspired by a desire to spark family conversations early on, acknowledging the realities of various disabilities, and seeing the beauty and power in our differences and the friendships that can be made between us. This book is the first of a planned series in the process of being published - each one will feature a character with a different specific disability, starting first with autism.
About the Author
Melissa Smith is the Founder and Executive Director of Backlight Productions, a theater arts program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Middle TN. Backlight Productions creates professional-level performance opportunities for artists with IDD where they are featured in leading roles in quality productions, performing alongside industry professionals using their gifts to put someone else in the spotlight. Melissa is passionate about giving a spotlight to the disabilities community that is so often lost in the background in the arts community, and using all forms of the arts (including books!) to encourage kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. As a wife and mother, Melissa's work focuses on providing families with tools to spark conversations early on, acknowledging the realities of various disabilities, and seeing the beauty and power in our differences and the friendships that can be made between us.