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A Delightful Human Difference

A new kind of ADHD book

A Delightful Human Difference is a new illustrated eBook by bestselling author Matthew Johnstone and psychologist Janelle Booker. Warm, evidence-informed, and genuinely reassuring, this book explores why the ADHD brain works the way it does, and why that’s not something to fix.

Ninety original illustrations. A whole new way of seeing.

Matthew Johnstone is a bestselling author and illustrator whose books have helped millions of people understand mental health. A Delightful Human Difference is his most personal project yet.

Janelle Booker is a psychologist specialising in ADHD across the lifespan. She brings warmth, expertise, and lived experience to everything she does.

eBOOK
Published 1 September 2026 RRP AUD $27.00

I Had a Black Dog
The metaphor of a Black Dog, representing depression has been around since ancient times but it was Winston Churchill who popularised the term to describe the hellish bouts of depression he experienced. Since then it has become shorthand for a condition or mood state suffered by one in five people, often in shame & silence. This is an illuminating, moving and uplifting illustrated book about what it is to experience depression, how to come through it and what can be learnt from it.

Written and illustrated by Matthew Johnstone.

I HAD A BLACK DOG
By Matthew Johnstone
Published 1 August 2005 RRP AUD $17.00
ISBN 0330421832

Living with a Black Dog
Millions of people will suffer from depression at some stage in their life. It’s not pleasant but it’s by no means a life sentence. When a Black Dog moves in, it also moves in with loved ones too who may not have the experience or tools to help support the sufferer.
Living With A Black Dog is Matthew and Ainsley Johnstone’s illustrated, must-have guide for the partners, family, friends and colleagues of depression sufferers. It includes simple, practical advice about recognising the symptoms of depression in a loved one. How to share a home with a sufferer while helping them to tame and even embrace their Black Dog. The book also provide many tips on self-preservation for carers, so they don’t come to adopt a Black Dog of their own. A companion book to I Had a Black Dog, Living With A Black Dog is a moving, thoughtful and often amusing guide for people living with someone who suffers from depression.

LIVING WITH A BLACK DOG
By Matthew Johnstone and Ainsley Johnstone
Published 01-04-2008 RRP AUD $20.00 ISBN 9780330423717

Alphabet of the Human Heart 
A handbook for the happy, and a bible for the broken-hearted, The Alphabet of the Human Heart is an enchanting and enriching journey through the upside and the downside of what it means to be human. It’s actually two books in one. It explores our hopes and our fears, our strengths and our weaknesses, our highs and our lows. It’s a simple road map for life.

ALPHABET OF THE HUMAN HEART
By Matthew Johnstone and James Kerr
Published 01-11-2009 RRP AUD $20.00
ISBN 9781405039475

Quiet the Mind
Modern day society has made sitting still or being with ourselves a near impossible task with its constant mantra of being busy and connected. Our poor brains never get a break and the result can be increased stress, anxiety, insomnia and if left unchecked it can lead to anxiety, depression and burnout. But there is something you can do – it’s called ‘nothing’.
This book is a simple, accessible, step-by-step guide on how to meditate. Stripping back the mystical concepts that often put meditation in the too-hard basket for many of us. Johnstone’s book utilises his trademark stunning illustrations to make meditation as easy as sitting down and focusing on the breath. This beautiful guide will help you find the space and peace for a relaxing meditation practice every day. Omwards and upwards!

QUIET THE MIND
By Matthew Johnstone
Published 01-03-2012 RRP AUD $20.00 ISBN 9781742610733

Capturing Mindfulness
Capturing Mindfulness, is a natural follow on from Quiet the Mind. It’s a book on how to create mindfulness through the metaphor of photography. Next to meditation, this is one of the most creative and enjoyable ways to attain mindfulness in day-to-day life. After all the very essence of photography is all about focus and capturing ‘a moment’. This book is a reminder to consciously slow everything down from your breath, to your walk, to your thoughts and begin to really observe your surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. When we become more consciously aware of where we are, what we’re doing and what we’re thinking, life can become calmer, more enjoyable and generally more manageable. No photographic expertise or camera required to understand the simple premise of this book.

CAPTURING MINDFULNESS
By Matthew Johnstone
Published 1 August 2013 RRP AUD $20.00 ISBN 033042183

The Big Little Book of Resilience
Most of us set out quietly hoping for, and secretly expecting, to live a happy, successful and healthy life. Sadly life doesn’t always play fair or go to plan. The Big Little Book of Resilience is about developing a degree of flexibility, acceptance and self-compassion when life goes awry.
In this beautifully illustrated book, Matthew Johnstone guides the reader to an understanding of how resilience plays a key role in mental health and wellbeing. He offers an accessible roadmap to developing and maintaining resilience and how it can help you overcome, learn and grow from challenging life events.

THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF RESILIENCE
Written and Illustrated by Matthew Johnstone
Published by Pan MacMillan Australia
Published 1 February 2015 RRP AUD $20.00 ISBN 9781742614328

Stress Less
Experiencing stress is a normal part of being human, but in our increasingly complex and fast-paced world, our stress levels can interfere with our enjoyment of life, including through anxiety, lack of energy, sleeplessness, muscle tension and irritation. What many might not know is that in large doses, ongoing stress is considered to be a contributing factor to instances of cancer, heart disease and stroke. In StressLess, clinical psychologist Dr Michael Player and bestselling author-illustrator Matthew Johnstone use their own experience to help you recognise stress in your day-to-day life and apply techniques to manage symptoms. You will learn how to: Recognise the thinking patterns that lead to stress. Disentangle yourself from stressful activities. Learn how to relax using your breath, stretching, meditation and mindfulness. Do more with your time. Problem solve and nurture relationships. Fully illustrated, easy to follow and based on the latest medical science, StressLess is your go-to guide to identify and reduce your own stress and help others do the same. Here’s to cooling your jets!

STRESS LESS
By Matthew Johnstone and Dr Michael Player
ISBN: 9781760554224 RRP $30.00

Harvey, the boy who couldn’t fart
Everyone can fart. Everyone except Harvey. No matter how hard Harvey tries, he can’t manage even a squeak. Johnstone’s first children book is a humorous yarn that will have readers of all ages giggling.
Free fart machine with every book.

HARVEY THE BOY WHO COULDN’T FART
By Matthew Johnstone
Published 01-11-2010 RRP AUD $20.00
ISBN 9781921529832