North Island College student Graham Paul hopes his children’s book will remind readers of all ages that growth is rarely something we do alone.

It’s only natural to grow together, the new author says, and it works out for the best when we support each other.

Paul, a student in NIC’s Human Service Worker certificate program as well as a husband and father of three, recently published a children’s book called We Grow Together. In the book, he writes that like trees in a forest, “We are separate but here together,” through cold or droughts.

Paul credits the support of his family throughout his life, but he also faced challenges that only began to make sense more recently. On his website, he shares parts of his mental health journey and his later-in-life autism and ADHD diagnosis (AuDHD), experiences that helped him better understand both himself and the different ways people experience the world. Those experiences helped shape the message behind his book.

“I still want kids to see that people who are neurodivergent, living in a world not designed for them, can still do meaningful and impactful things,” he said.

The idea for We Grow Together had been with him for years. What began as a poem eventually grew into a children's story after an opportunity in one of his college classes encouraged him to put the idea on paper.

“I wrote a couple of lines down, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Paul shared the poem that inspired the book with classmates and instructors, and he was encouraged by the response. His instructor, Alison Bruderer, was particularly supportive throughout the process.

“I think this is such a wonderful example and reminder that students come to our courses with rich and varied backgrounds and often take away much more than academics from the experience,” she said. “It is a lovely story.”

The book celebrates growth, connection, belonging and learning alongside one another. For Paul, its message is a simple but important one: every child grows differently, and people are stronger when they support one another rather than compare themselves to others.

“It’s a gentle story,” he said. “I hope it reminds children that they are valued for who they are, that growth takes time and that none of us have to do it alone.”

We Grow Together is available online and at Wildflower Mercantile, 215 Port Augusta St., in Comox. You can find out more information about Paul, his book and how to find it online at Whitaker Road Publishing.