A friend recently told me that her son
started to get interested in reading when
he discovered Captain Underpants.
That's a common story, and the fact that
her son has an Asperger's diagnosis may
not be as relevant as the fact that a lot of
kids like Captain Underpants.
Getting any child interested in books may
be as simple as finding a series they like
and popular series are a good place to start.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants
are popular choices that have great kid appeal
because of their funny stories with goofy pictures.
A short list of funny stories with goofy pictures:
Lenny and Mel, Scaredy Squirrel, and of
course, Sticky Burr, the subject of a new
book and today's review.
Here's what my son wrote about the newest
adventure of that good-natured little seedpod Sticky:
"Sticky Burr started to tell the story.
But then, Scurvy Burr interrupted,
and said he wanted to tell the story.
[I hope he's not too scurvy to tell the story].
They went to Spooky Glen.
They met Burweena.
I remember when she saw Sickly Burr.
[They fell in the bottomless pit]"
The parenthetical remarks are what
he said out loud when I first asked him
to tell me about what he had read a week
ago.
Now, he often cannot or will not remember
what we read the night before, so I thought
this recall very promising. Comic book like
stories sometimes engage him more strongly.
As with the "I hope he's not too scurvy"
remark, an unusual word or phrase sticks
in his mind more than the story.
The Sticky Burr books are aimed at
elementary age kids, but there's enough
there for a middle school reader who still
wants picture support. The pictures
absolutely show what is happening in
the text (a must for readers with autism)
and the humor is silly and character based
(a plus).
If you know a kid w/ autism who'd like to
have a book review posted, comment
or e-me autismreads@gmail.com
Stick to reading,
Spectrum Mom
