The Friendship Puzzle is a wonderful kids book written about and for those children who interact with other children who have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This story is about a young girl, Mackenzie, who goes to school with a young man that she tries to be friends with. She notices that he doesn’t seem to have any friends and so she attempts to engage him but doesn’t understand why he doesn’t respond to her attempts at friendship.
There are some behaviors that the young man, Dylan, does that confuse Mackenzie Mackabee. He sits and swings alone for long periods of time. He covers his eyes and his ears for no apparent reason. He doesn’t seem to smile or talk back when any other students talk to him. One day, the kids are playing soccer when out of the blue, the young man runs and takes the ball and continues running. The kids are upset thinking that he is trying to stop their game.
Mackenzie consults her teacher about her questions regarding young Dylan’s behavior. The teacher is thrilled to have an opportunity to explain that Dylan has Autism and how that affects him. She explains that she is sure that Dylan isn’t trying to stop their game or trying to be a bully.
You will have to read the wonderful story to see how the situation is resolved and how a little understanding can go a long way to helping others to include someone who is a bit different from themselves. This is a wonderfully written book and the colorful pictures on the pages help to show how students can learn about one another and appreciate their differences. The emotions of the characters are reflected in the artwork so that the reader can empathize with the characters in the story.
I think this is a wonderful story book for any classroom setting; but, especially any classroom that may include special needs students who may be struggling to feel acceptance from their peers. The author of the story is Julie Coe and the illustrator is Sondra Brassel; the story was inspired by the children of Jennifer Maloni. I like the fact that these women intend for this book to make a difference in how children see another child who is a bit different from themselves and appreciate and include them in their social lives! There are even some great activities to promote positive interaction between children who are living with Autism or any other challenge that sets them apart from their peers and others who are in their daily lives. After all, everyone deserves the opportunity to be accepted for who they are and to feel like they fit or belong with others in the peer group. Pick up this book and let it be an inspiration to teachers, students and families everywhere!
The book can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com
Oregon Trail is a children’s book that explains what the Oregon Trail was and why it was so important to the development of the United States. When the pioneers set out to make their mark out west there was one way to get there and that was the Oregon Trail. It started in Independence , Missouri and ended in Oregon City, Oregon.
The book has great pictures and maps showing the way that the pioneers had to travel on their way out west to grab their own piece of land to start a new life. The book explains about all of the dangers that the travelors faced on their trip and talked about what the settlers would need to make the journey. It is interesting to note that there were certain times of the year that the pioneers could travel because of the changing seasons and weather conditions. Traveling by covered wagon was not as fast or as safe as traveling today.
Some interesting facts are that there was a mountain trail that was so narrow that they called it the Devil’s Backbone because both people and the wagons with the animals had to walk single file along it’s ridges. Did you know that there are still to this day wagon tracks that can be seen on parts of the Oregon Trail? This book is educational and fun to look at and imagine what it would be like to travel across the country in the same way that the pioneers did.
Oregon Trail was written by Sarah Tieck and was copyrighted in 2008 by ABDO Publishing Company. You can visit their website here: http://www.abdopublishing.com
Rainy’s Recommendations
