IAN'S SHOW AND TELL SURPRISE

A boy finds a way to explain autism to his classmates in this show-and-tell picture book based on a true story.

Ian is excited about a new school year, but his classmates have trouble understanding why he does things differently. Ian ends up mostly playing by himself. When the teacher announces a show-and-tell project, he isn’t sure what to do. He wishes his classmates could understand him as well as his favorite stuffed animal does. That gives him an idea: “I’ll tell them about autism and show them how I think differently. Then they’ll understand.” With his mom’s help, Ian puts together objects to help him explain autism to his class, like a hula hoop to show how he sometimes forgets personal space. Later, a classmate reminds him of the hula hoop, and he understands he’s too close—they now speak the same language. Montgomery uses a clear font and simple sentences to pack a lot of information into the captivating tale. The voice feels authentic to Ian’s experiences, and the empathetic story is based on a presentation the author’s own son did for his third grade class. Bolognese-Warrington skillfully uses color, showing Ian’s world primarily in grayscale until the White boy begins his presentation. Each of Ian’s objects brings a splash of color to the page. At the end of his talk, the whole classroom is depicted in bright hues. The correlation of being understood with seeing in full color is an effective technique.

A sympathetic, engaging, and understanding look at autism.