Danny and the Dinosaur

There are the books my twelve year old is 
assigned to read in the seventh grade, and
then there are the books that are actually in
his head. This morning he was quoting
from Danny and the Dinosaur, so what
the hey,  I'm going to review Danny and
the Dinosaur.
At the library today I was discussing early
readers with the librarian and trying to 
find a tactful way of describing why my
six year old did not enjoy most of the
readers.
"The stories are kind of .  .  . " I hesitated.
"Stupid?" she supplied. "Yes, we'll sometimes
pull one out for story time because it fits the
theme, look at it and put it right back."
Danny and the Dinosaur is not stupid.
It's pure wish fulfillment. You go to the
museum, you see the dinosaur, you want
the dinosaur, the dinosaur follows you
home and is the best playmate ever.
Well, not you maybe, but that's what
happens to Danny.
The author/illustrator Syd Hoff also wrote 
Captain Cat which my (then) four year old chose,
much to my chagrin, over much prettier
books. So the bold cartoony style appeals
to my boys, and probably most kids.
There is a list near the beginning of things
in the museum, and that's what my son
quoted this morning. It is a very easy reader
with rhythmic logical words.
Note: if anyone can think of a book for a 
twelve year old that would interest my 
twelve year old, I would be very grateful.
His interest is entirely in the words, and
not the story at all.
Yours Somewhat Desperately,
Spectrum Mom
*Find other Danny fans & 
share your thoughts 
https://www.facebook.com/autism.reads 
(or you can comment here)

A Fly Went By and By and By

Repetition. It's how we learn. Kids know this, underneath the demand to repeat the game, reread the book, retell the joke, 
is the brain building itself up and strengthening connections.
Kids with autism know this, and some demand the game,
the book, the joke in quantity and duration almost unbearable
to those around them.
Early rhymes and songs like "The House that Jack Built," and "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" use this joy 
to teach.
So do kids' authors, particularly authors of early readers.
Repeated vocabulary gets that originally unfamiliar word into
the eyes and brain of the kid.
A Fly Went By is a classic of repetition where a boy 
encounters a veritable parade of the local fauna chasing
each other - or are they? His efforts to stop their flight
lead to repeated descriptions of the situation with the
animal names and feelings written out each time.
"SO
The fly ran away
In fear of the frog,
Who ran from the cat,
Who ran from the dog."
The story also rhymes and has simple illustrations, giving 
new readers reliable clues to what is happening in the text.

When the Elephant Walks is a newer version of this type
of story available in board book format.
So, to repeat myself, your comments and favorites are welcome
here.
-Spectrum Mom

Very Easy Reading

Easy Readers for children with autism 
(I am talking very first readers for kids with autism 
just beginning to read)
need as many of these features as possible:

- short words

- complete sentences

- short sentences

- big typeface

- color pictures

- pictures that correspond to the text

- a simple story and/or rhyme scheme

How can I make such a sweeping generalization when
kids with autism differ so much? Because these are features
helpful to all new readers, and for readers with autism,
just a little bit more so.  Often people with autism
value completeness and those complete sentences 
(as opposed to single words or fragments) become
vital. And if you want the world to have sense and
pattern, understandable stories and rhymes are key.

I thought Boy, Bird, and Dog by David McPhail 
an exemplary early reader. 
A very simple (in the best possible way) book,

The pictures show exactly what is said in the 

text. This is oh so important for kids with autism

and oh so helpful for all kids learning to read.

The pictures are representational against a

white background. The typeface is big,

and the words are small. The sentences

are short, with only one or two sentences

per page. The story is a short 22 pages.

I did not know the “I Like to Read” series,

but I will be looking for it now.

-Spectrum Mom