So many parents turn to books to help explain some of the more difficult aspects of life to their children, so I’m always on the lookout for lists of books that tackle the tough subjects. This list contains books about divorce, potty training (this one has a lot of good reviews on Amazon), anxieties, death, being different (several books), bullying, bad behaviour, moving, cancer, etc.
Books for Children
When life sucks for kids
When life sucks for kids, by Kirrilie Smout. Subtitled “Ideas and tips for when you feel mad, worried or sad- or life gets kind of messy”. While I haven’t read this entire book, I was impressed enough with the content of the sample chapters (link is just over halfway down the page, under the Buy Now button and cover images) to link to it here. This book is suited for 8-13 year olds, and the author has a previously-published book called “When life sucks for teens”. In the sample chapters, I particularly liked the SHOPS acronym for how to initiate conversations- ask questions about Screens, Hobbies, Other People and School- with half a dozen examples of each.
Siblings and acceptance
In Jesse’s Shoes, by Beverly Lewis. Written from the perspective of the sister of a boy with special needs (most likely autism)- from embarrassment about how her peers see them both, through to literally walking in his shoes. She learned to appreciate him and his interests, and to stand up to and educate the troublemakers. Great story for promoting understanding of both autism, and sibling issues. The book does contain some Christian content.
Children’s book about trauma
A Terrible Thing Happened, by Margaret M Holmes. This book is about helping children to process trauma. The main character is a raccoon, who has seen a terrible thing, that upset and scared him. He decided not to think about it, but eventually started having physical and emotional effects. His parents took him to someone who could help him figure out his feelings, who played with him and encouraged him to draw pictures, then talked about them. He felt stronger, and much better. At the end of the book are notes for parents and caregivers. Nice simple language, and general enough to be used in many different difficult situations.
Geek books for kids
67 Books Every Geek Should Read to Their Kids Before Age 10, by Erik Wecks. Not really autism-related, but there does seem to be a certain amount of geekery within the community! I was pleased that of the books available in our local library, there were only five that we hadn’t accessed- and two of those had been planned, but we hadn’t got to them yet! Beginner readers through to Harry Potter/LOTR.
Children’s books: death
I have recently read two children’s books about death and grief that were quite good.
Rabbityness, by Jo Empson: Describes a rabbit, his likes and how he influenced his peers – then one day he disappeared. “All that Rabbit had left was a hole… a DEEP dark hole.” But down in the DEEP dark hole, Rabbit had left some of his favourite things, which made them think of Rabbit, which made them happy.
Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in between, by Bryan Mellonie: This book has plenty of repetition and reassurance, looking at the lifetimes of various living things, and that no matter how long or short, lifetimes are really all the same – they have beginnings, and endings, and there is living in between.
SN books and movies
FriendshipCircle has lists of special needs stories, movies, novels, documentaries and children’s books. I like lists :).
I am Aspiengirl
I am Aspiengirl, by Tania Marshall. A highly visual and colourful book, showing the diversity of girls on the autism spectrum, with quotes from both girls and adults (parents, teachers, professionals) on each page. The appendices contain a long list of common traits of Aspiengirls and a comparison between boys and girls on the autism spectrum.
Colin Fischer
Colin Fischer, by Ashley Edward Miller. An Aspie detective mystery! Colin Fischer is a very stereotypical Aspie, who is socially awkward at school, and very bright. When there is a mystery at school, and the wrong person (who also has a history of bullying Colin) is accused, Colin solves the mystery and clears the false accusation.
Nobody’s Perfect
Nobody’s Perfect, by Marlee Matlin. A great book for siblings and disability acceptance! A new girl starts at school, and seems very aloof, despite the others trying to be friendly. She seems to be nearly perfect at everything, and it’s only late in the book that it’s revealed that she has an autistic brother, who she is initially ashamed of. One of her classmates, who is deaf, begins teaching the boy sign language, to the delight of his family, and his sister learns to accept disabilities.
