Review: What it is to be Me!

What it is to be Me!: an Asperger Kid Book by Angela Wine. Illustrated by David Crary. Fairdale Books, 2005 (1-59352-199-5) $9.95 pb

I have the same problem with this book that I have with most children's books about understanding Aspergers: it's too specific. To quote a favorite phrase, if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism--just a few added words to make it clear that some Aspies are very good with computers and some Aspies take things literally would have been great.

Other than that, this is probably the best book of its kind I've seen. The illustrations are simple but engaging, with the kind of exaggerated style my Aspie son finds very funny: Enormous ears to illustrate having "very strong senses", smiling faces on gears and computer terminals. The information is straightforward, focusing on strengths as well as challenges: "I am a friendly boy... but sometimes I stand too close." It's great to see the narrator portrayed as likable and happy, getting away from one of my least favorite stereotypes. With personal addendums to the text, this can be a good beginning for any child wanting to understand what Asperger's Syndrome is like. (3-12)

You can see the book's website here.

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts


FTC disclosure: Review copy from my son's collection, originally purchased from Amazon.com. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

Reading with Ben - Poetry Saturday

My son tends to find his own books, and very selectively too, so it was a little thrill to see him reading something I'd put on his shelves, Making Friends with Frankenstein. Tonight his dad was out of town, so rather than the usual installment of Harry Potter with voices, I picked up MFwF and read him some of it. What a fascinating experience it is to read comic poetry with a highly intelligent autistic child. He wanted me to explain many of the jokes, especially the puns, but then he found them just hilarious.

He's reading to himself now and I can hear almost constant laughter.

It doesn't seem to be in print at the moment, but used copies abound. My original review:



Making Friends With Frankenstein written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton. Candlewick, 1994 (1-56402-308-7) $19.95; 2001 (0-7636-1552-8) $4.99 pb

The gross, grisly, subversive and wickedly amusing atmosphere of children's playground verses is perfectly captured in this original collection of "monstrous poems and pictures." By turns gruesome, malevolent and cynical--but always gleeful--Making Friends With Frankenstein is delightfully shocking and hysterically funny. The cartoony pictures are an excellent match for the verses: neither are for the weak of stomach. American readers may be baffled by occasional references to English expressions and culture, but that's no big deal--they'll still devour this book and scream for more.

© 2009 Wendy E. Betts

Nonfiction Monday: George Washington Carver

The Groundbreaking, Chance-Taking Life of George Washington Carver and Science and Invention in America written and illustrated by Cheryl Harness. National Geographic, 2008 (978-1-4263-0196-4) $16.95

The title and cover of this book give you a clue right away that it doesn't want to be a standard dry biography and indeed, it is a particularly engaging one. Part of the immediate appeal is its design: it's chock-full of black and white line drawings, many of which are interesting hand-drawn maps and diagrams. There's an ongoing illustrated time-line that puts the chronological story in historical perspective, showing important dates in world history, science, and black history. Essentially, almost all of the purely factual scientific and historical information is presented in an eye-catching format that cries out to be read. (A Carver chronology, science websites list, bibliography and index are also included.)

The main text of the book is just as attractive, taking an informal, opinionated style that moves quickly. It tells not only the known (and guessed) facts of Carver's childhood and life, but thoughtfully considers his place in history as a black man and a scientist: "Regardless of their ethnicity, poor folks who were struggling through hard times found encouragement in the way George climbed so high from so low-down. He became famous because of his wisdom, inspiring personality, life story, and his blackness--not because he was a great scientist. He wasn't? No, but he was a great thinker, one who used science and art to help himself and others understand the world."

With many quotes from Carver himself, and descriptions of his habits and interests, this book brings him close to us as a creative, idealistic and likable person, as well as an important figure in history. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a biography written for children more. * (8 & up)

(Check out more interesting books at the Nonfiction Monday round-up.)

Nonfiction Monday: Face to Face With Lions

Face to Face With Lions by Beverly and Dereck Joubert. Photographed by Berverly Joubert. National Geographic, 2008 (978-1-4263-0207-7) $16.95

There's a lot that appeals in this new series by National Geographic: plenty of striking photographs of course, an effective design, many interesting extra features. What really worked for me, though, was the use of first person narrative by people who've worked with the animals for a long time. The personal touch makes the information flow and the facts come to life.

Joubert draws us in from the start with an exciting and funny story about how he and his wife Beverley had an encounter with an unfamiliar lion. "We live by an important rule out here. If a lion charges, we stand out ground. If we ran, it would turn into a cat-and-mouse game. And that's a game we couldn't win. So we faced down the angry lion." Joubert is impressed by how perfectly still his wife manages to be, only realizes after the encounter is over that she had very sensibly backed slowly away.

Following this, we learn about the areas where lions live, about the course of their lives, and about the issues that threaten them. Personal information keeps the narrative lively: "We love to watch lions with cubs. Sometimes you'll see the cubs running, leaping, biting an ear, attacking a tail. The cubs in a pride are usually born around the same time. They suckle the milk from any mother they come across any time. After three of four months, I doubt whether the mothers even know which cubs are theirs." Throughout the book the photographs, all labeled with extra detail, are exciting and eye-catching, ranging from the aggressive grandeur of the pack leaders to the cuteness of the cubs. There's a bit of realistic gore, as this is a book about predators, but I think only very sensitive children would find it too much.

Extra features at the end of the book include a section on how to help endangered creatures, suggestions for observing lions in a zoo, a round-up of general facts, a glossary, books and websites, and an index. Even the research and photographic notes have a personal touch, describing sitting in 128 degree temperatures for 12 hours straight, only to lose a perfect shot to a dead battery.

This is an excellent choice for school and public libraries and might even be able to turn on kids who aren't usually attracted to nonfiction. (6-9)

Find more excellent nonfiction at the Nonfiction Monday Round Up.