My Sister, Lila Lee

In the Fall of 2022, Morgan Matkovic’s younger daughter Lila (now 4) was diagnosed with Autism. “Before leaving our diagnostic appointment, I asked our doctor how I should approach this new reality with our oldest daughter; more specifically, I wanted children’s’ book recommendations that focused on girls/sisters to help her understand the idea of neurodivergence,” says Morgan.

At the time, there weren’t many options—and the few that were available were centered around boys. So Morgan decided to pen My Sister Lila Lee with Lila’s older sister Madeline (now 8), illustrated by artist Betsy Douglass.

“Writing a children’s book has always been a dream of mine, so I took the opportunity to tell our story—one that champions sisterhoods, shares awareness and acceptance of neurodivergence, and spreads the universal message of leading with kindness always,” says Morgan.

Previously, she created Lilies + Lambs, a blog focused on her IVF journey which transitioned into a lifestyle focus, including her family’s move from Old Greenwich, CT to Charleston, South Carolina during the pandemic, and now, her experience parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).