A detailed, valuable introduction to one family’s experience of autism.
A mother explores autism in this illustrated alphabet book.
Using each letter of the alphabet as a starting point for multiple themes, Haendiges depicts her family’s experiences with her son Ollie’s autism and how it makes him special. As she travels through the alphabet, one core theme resonates: “It is important to know that our neurodiverse kids are not sick; they are just wired differently.” Starting with apple (Ollie only likes green apples because of the way he processes the world) and ASL, which the boy uses to communicate more smoothly, the author immerses readers in a detailed journey. She discusses big topics like sensory processing, sensory dysregulation, proprioceptive sense, vestibular sense, and neurodiversity. Haendiges fully explains each of these subjects, making big ideas approachable for young listeners and readers. The text on each page is quite dense, often with multiple words associated with the letter on each two-page spread. Some, like checklist for X—because Ollie and his sister, Rosie, mark off tasks from their daily lists with an X—offer insight into techniques that help the family members manage their days. Haendiges delves into the complexity of transitioning and how Ollie’s unique way of experiencing the world has changed her strategies as a parent. She also doesn’t shy away from discussing Rosie’s struggles as a big sister. Rosie is Ollie’s champion, but she can sometimes feel left out when he is the center of attention. The author strives for inclusion in the text, using Ollie and Rosie as her touchstones while focusing on how everyone has an individual experience. Haendiges’ vibrant illustrations feature one image associated with the letter, which is also spelled out in ASL. The detailed, colorful hands (sometimes with painted or decorated nails) are wrinkly to emphasize their shapes; the forms of the ASL letters are clear and easy to mimic. While this text is too complex for most young readers despite the author’s efforts to use simple sentences, families wishing to understand neurodiversity can take this worthwhile journey together.
A detailed, valuable introduction to one family’s experience of autism.Pub Date: June 16, 2022
ISBN: 9781647045326
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Bublish, Incorporated
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
