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
Nancy Bourke has written a wonderful children’s book of poems filled with expressions of childlike awe and joy of everyday experiences that life and nature provide. As people grow up, they somehow lose their appreciation of the small things in life; like the feel of grass beneath their feet, or their amazement as the seeds of a dandelion are taken away like little miniature dandelion bubbles on the journey of the wind.
Nancy Bourke, the author, tells of her inspiration for writing Dandelion Bubbles; it was a spring day at the park with her son who was three years old at the time. Mother and son were blowing the white fluffy dandelion flowers into the wind when her son called them dandelion bubbles. Those words inspired the title of the poem that she wrote the next day…it also became the title of the book. The book became a family project as Nancy’s husband Kevin Bourke took some of the photos that were published in the finished book. Speaking of the photos, the feel and ambience of the words is captured visually through the skilled photos between the covers of the book.
The book, Dandelion Bubbles, reacquaints the reader with the feelings of their childhood when everything that they witnessed about the world around them filled them with excitement. A child’s joy is contagious. Adults need to merely listen to the words of a child to be inspired to find their own appreciation of the seasons and the environment. The poems in this book, written for young readers ages birth to approximately seven years of age, will encourage your child to describe the world around them in ways that will fill you with amazement; and, remind you to enjoy the world around you. I highly recommend this book for you to share with some special young reader who holds your heart in their hands.
If you would like to purchase this book you can go to Nancy’s website here: http://www.dandelionbubbles.com/home.html or you can purchase the book at: http://www.amazon.com . This book was received by me from the author as a free review copy.
Rainy’s Recommendations
