Me and My Sister ISBN: 9781912650002
Published by Scallywag Press, 2019
Two children in this family (probably dogs instead of people, but highly expressive ones anyway), and the little girl is autistic. She doesn’t talk, but makes lots of interesting noises. The two children are very close, but, as Brother tells us, they are also very different. They like different foods, and she likes to watch TV, while he prefers to listen to music while reading. They go to different schools and learn in different ways, but they also enjoy doing things together. Sister is often rude to their Nanna, which Brother finds disturbing, but we are assured that Nana understands. Sister has times when she needs to be by herself, and she can act in unusual ways when they are out and about something other people neither like nor understand. Brother is sad when he is blamed for things that are not his fault, even though Sister never seems to be, but when she is sad or hurt, he is the first one to try to help. Sister doesn’t like hugs, so they ‘high-five instead’. Different as they are, they ‘love each other just the same’. A wonderfully moving story about what it is like for a child coping with a sibling on the autistic spectrum, and, as it is aimed at quite young children, unusual. Bright, simple pictures add greatly to the whole, and this should prove a treasure to those wanting to promote love and understanding within their own family as well as those needing to understand autism.
Age: 3+
Categories: