Kids Comics Pitchfest Showcase

Ambrosia's Secret Ingredient

Ambrosia is a baker. All her dolls agree. But sometimes numbers in recipes mix up or slip like butter from her mind. When Ambrosia and Dad decide to enter a Pi Day pie contest, things go from bad to burnt. She mixes up measurements and misreads the timer. A question curdles inside her like spoiled milk. Is she really a baker? Ambrosia finds a secret recipe. Following illustrated instructions that no one else can decode, she bakes a Pi Day showstopper. AMBROSIA’S SECRET INGREDIENT centers a neurodivergent kid whose struggle with dyscalculia reflects my own. (Includes dyscalculia resources.) For bakers who love the food & cheer in Dewdrop by O’Neill, and the T Rex who faces fear to share her passion in We Will Rock Our Classmates by Higgins.

My Why:

As a person with dyscalculia, I have early memories of number anxiety, confused parents and weeping over math homework. Though “3% - 7% of the population has dyscalculia”(1) there are few kid’s books centering this learning disorder that results in below average math skills. Poor math skills can cause serious social and economic difficulties.(2) With the recent decline in math scores, it is essential that more adults learn ways to support kids with dyscalculia and math anxiety — like baking together! I wrote this story to increase awareness and to let neurodiverse kids know that seeing things differently can be a secret ingredient for success. 1 usnews.com/education/k12/articles/what-is-dyscalculia 2 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6440373