A colorful jumping spider up close — the inspiration for Gus & Mable

Children's Picture Book Series

Gus & Mable

Two jumping spiders. One big world. A story about friendship, difference, and finding your way — written from the inside.

About the Series

The world is loud. Gus and Mable know exactly what that means.

Gus & Mable is a picture book series about two jumping spiders who are autistic — written by an autistic author, from the inside out. These books don't explain autism to neurotypical readers. They live inside it, the way autistic children actually do: with full sensory worlds, deep loyalties, unexpected joys, and the particular exhaustion of navigating spaces that weren't built for you.

Gus notices everything. Mable feels everything. Together, they figure out how to be in the world without losing themselves in it — and they do it the way real friendship works: imperfectly, honestly, and with a lot of heart.

"These books don't explain autism. They live inside it."

— Harper Holland, autistic author

The Series

14 Books. Two Spiders. One True World.

1

Gus and the Too-Loud Day

Gus

2

Mable Can't Find the Feeling

Mable

3

Gus's Amazing, Astonishing, Absolutely Best Dewdrop Collection

Gus

4

Mable's Quiet Corner

Mable

5

Gus Doesn't Get It (And That's Okay)

Gus

6

The Storm Inside Gus

Gus

7

Mable Likes It the Same

Mable

8

Gus's Happy Wiggle

Gus

9

Mable, Alone in a Crowd

Mable

10

Gus Meets Someone Like Him

Gus

11

Mable and the Very Heavy Toothbrush

Mable

12

Gus and the Mountain of Getting Ready

Gus

13

Mable and the Door That Wouldn't Open

Mable

14

Mable's First and Then

Mable

Gus narrates
Mable narrates

What These Books Are About

Stories that see the whole child.

Authentic Representation

Written by an autistic author from lived experience — not a clinical lens, not a checklist. Gus and Mable think, feel, and move through the world the way autistic children actually do.

Friendship Without Conditions

Gus and Mable don't fix each other. They show up for each other. The series models the kind of friendship that makes room for difference instead of asking anyone to shrink.

Sensory Honesty

The books don't shy away from what it feels like when the world is too loud, too bright, or too much — and they don't treat that as a problem to solve. They treat it as part of who Gus and Mable are.

Joy as the Point

These are not books about overcoming autism. They are books about two spiders who love each other, love the world, and are fully themselves in it. The joy is the point.

Who These Books Are For

For the child who already knows. And the adult who wants to understand.

Gus & Mable is for autistic children who deserve to see themselves in a story — not as a problem, not as a lesson, but as the hero. It is also for the parents, teachers, and caregivers who love them and want to understand what the world looks like from inside.

These books belong in classrooms, in therapy waiting rooms, on the nightstand of every child who has ever felt like the world was built for someone else.

Series Status

In development.

The Gus & Mable series is currently in development. Updates on publication, illustration, and availability will be shared here and through the newsletter first.

Harper Holland

Neurodivergent | CPTSD | Woman with a Story to Tell

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Debut novel

Worth Reckoning

© 2026 Harper Holland LLC. All rights reserved.

Book club fiction, upmarket speculative fiction, and children’s picture-book literature, written unmasked.