Along Came a Dog

This is an odd review because I haven't read this book to a kid.
But many kids have strong interests in dogs, and my neighborhood
now lets you raise chickens, so this book seemed timely. 
There must be kids out there fascinated by dog/chicken behavior, right?
One of my favorite authors for kids, Erik P. Kraft,  
has become so chicken obsessed he even blogs and podcasts 
on the subject, so if you have a chicken loving child, 
there is ample material for them to hear/view
(enjoy his stuff yourself first, not all of his chicken experiences may be appropriate for younger or more sensitive viewers, 
though most are funny).
Getting back to the book: 
Along Came a Dog is by Meindert De Jong, 
author of The Wheel on the School, 
and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. 
It's the story of a little red hen,
(my boy would quote you the A. A. Milne poem), 
her owner, and a stray dog looking for a home.
It is filled with interesting examples of chicken and dog behavior,
and human misunderstanding of same.
Since this is a children's book, all ends happily, though there is
one animal death (the bossy rooster).
Don't expect much from the Sendak illustrations which
never rise above the serviceable. Their presence may
help if your child is still transitioning from picture books, 
and likes to find a few illustrations when flipping through, 
or if your child has trouble visualizing characters.
I think of this one as a read aloud from about six to twelve,
but it could be a good read alone for eight to thirteens, 
especially if your child is speeding ahead of you in their
interest in animals. The emotions are simple, and motivations
are clear. The man likes animals, and he wants his own
poultry farm. The hen wants a family of chicks. 
The dog, as previously mentioned, wants a home.
De Jong's books, like those of Dick King-Smith,
have animals at their heart. But unlike King-Smith 
(Babe, Lady Lollipop) De Jong avoids fantasy and 
anthropomorphic animals. His animals behave like
real animals, while remaining lovable companions.
While I adore fantasy, I think that stories grounded in
reality may have special value for kids with autism.
So if you're looking for reality, dogs, and chickens,
read this to your child. And please tell me how it 
goes! 
-Spectrum Mom

The Wheel on the School

One of the changes I worry about in reading is the loss 
of access to books.
That sounds ridiculous, because don't all those e-readers and websites give us access to more books?
Yes and no. They do not give us access to the books we do not know. Libraries and bookstores do. At least for now.
Have you ever heard of The Wheel on the School?
The book my six year old says is "the best book I ever read"?
(I read it to him at bedtime)
I am reading it to him because I walked into the library and
found it on a table with its beautiful gold Newbery medal
stamp on the front cover.
This story of school children in the Netherlands who want to attract storks to their village creates suspense from simple
quests.  Lina,overlooked and left out as the only girl at school, starts everything when she writes about the storks that do not
come to their small town of Shora. Grandmother Sibble III
turns out to be a Shora stork expert, and old Douwa 
the source of the all important wagon wheel. As the 
children learn to look in unlikely and seemingly impossible
places for what they want, they discover chubby Eelka is
strong enough to rescue his friends and that the fearsome,
legless Janus can do far more than just terrorize kids who
try to steal fruit from his cherry tree. All of this is part of
a realistic story without a hint of preachiness or condescension.
This is a good story to read with kids who think literally,
with direct action and emotions spelled out.
Some kids may worry more than others about some
of the situations, but all of them are relatively mild.
No kids/parents were harmed in the making of this
book.
-Spectrum Mom 

Elementary, my dear-Ask a Librarian

School librarians are wonderful.
But most are not reading experts
(I am still looking for reading
experts who work mostly with
kids with autism, write in! but
I digress)
and are often reluctant to make
book recommendations for my
boy with autism.
So instead, I ask for specific
types of books,
like books with picture support.
Here's a book list from a
wonderful Elementary School
librarian of books with strong
picture support:
Black Lagoon Adventures
a school based series
SWAT Secret World Adventure Team

Stink series/McDonald

The Adventures of Uncle Stinky/Rumble
My boy enjoyed the Mercy Watson series,
very easy, heavily illustrated books
with lots of funny stuff and very short
chapters. That pig loves her toast.
He tolerated the Stink books in 2nd
and 3rd grade.
I've thumbed through SWAT
and found the concept too confusing 
and saw nothing that would grab his 
attention in the Black Lagoon. 
Uncle Stinky is unknown to me.
But any of these may be just
right for your kid, if you're
looking for more books with
picture support.
Caveat: always check out the
book to make sure the 
illustrations match the text.
Pictures that don't match
distract instead of support.


Enjoy your toast,
-Spectrum Mom