As they say, if you have met one child with autism, then you’ve met one child with autism. Ethan, my son, is three years old and certainly doesn’t fit in any type of ASD box, but a few things are for sure: he loves different textures and is very picky about them; he loves numbers; and he loves repetition/routine.
Building a library appropriate and engaging for my child with autism has been a recent mission of mine. Up until the age of three, Ethan wanted nothing to do with books -- he would grab them, flip through the pages in a nanosecond, and be done with it. (It broke my librarian heart, but I kept up the routine of reading before bed.) I wanted to include books that appealed to him texture-wise and visually, hoping that the interest in the words would follow. After researching a bit, we have created an overflowing library of unique, thoughtful books. (Just a note: interest in these books is certainly not limited to those children with spectrum disorders. Most kids will love these books; it can be more of a challenge to get children with spectrum disorders interested in books.)
Here are our favorite ten:
Beautiful Oops
by Barney Saltzberg
Barney Saltzerg is a master of paper engineering, and Beautiful Oops combines unique tactile elements with a simple reminder: mistakes can often be turned into something beautiful. Interact with spilled coffee, torn pages, splotches of paint, crumpled paper, and more in Beautiful Oops. For those children who are attracted to the tactile elements and textures in books, this one is a must-have.
Chicka Chicka 123
by Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, Lois Ehlert
The Chicka books (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Chicka Chicka 123, Chicka Chicka ABC) are classic, and for good reason. In this large boardbook, glossy pages follow the journey of numbers up and down a tree, a delight for young’uns drawn to identifying numbers.
Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site
by Sherri Rinker, Tom Lichtenheld
What happens when all the people go home and the crane truck, the cement mixer, the dump truck, the bulldozer, and the excavator are left to themselves? They follow a nighttime routine, too, just like us -- the five button-activated sounds include rumbling trucks, a horn, a roaring engine, yawning, and snoring.
Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site boasts more than just cute sounds and lovely artwork -- the text itself is one of the better text-with-audio books I have read. For instance: “Pushing with his mighty blade, Bulldozer works to smooth the grade. No one’s as tough and strong as he, [b]ut now he’s sleepy as can be. He curls into his soft dirt bed, [a]nd dreams of busy days ahead.”
Feely Bugs
by David A. Carter
Let’s just make this clear -- I am not a fan of bugs of any type, but I love this book. Various textures incorporate child engagement; for instance, sticky bugs literally stick to your fingers on the page, and velvety bugs are swathed in the plush texture.
Pete the Cat (any and all versions)
by Eric Litwin, James Dean
Pete the Cat is a recent obsession for my son; the singsong aspects and repetition feed right into his desire for routine. He quickly memorized the original Pete the Cat book and loves to reenact the Pete the Cat plush stepping into strawberries and blueberries. It’s fun for adults, too, with a “groovy” storyline and moral. We have the Easter book, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Cavecat Pet, and the original Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.
A Little Bit of Oomph
by Barney Saltzberg
Another stellar tactile-focused book by Barney Saltzberg, A Little Bit of Oomph encourages children to put in that little bit of extra effort to make ordinary things extraordinary. As with Beautiful Oops, the pages are filled with fun textural elements. I really hope Saltzberg keeps creating books like these; they’re fun for me, too!
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle
I will always love this book, and so will Ethan. A growing caterpillar eats his way through leaves, sausages, and pies, leaving holes in the pages. It’s a delight for young ones to follow the caterpillar’s trek through the pages, and the incorporation of his transformation into a butterfly is a beautiful ending.
Good Boy, Bubble Puppy!
by "Editors of Publication International"
Another text-with-audio book, Good Boy, Bubble Puppy! is a sturdy boardbook appropriate for those kids obsessed with Bubble Guppies. The story follows very closely to an episode on the show, in which the gang travels to the supermarket for more Bubble Bites. Gil races Mrs. Peekytoe for the last box, and the ending is a sweet sharing moment.
My son loves to match the graphic icons in the text to the sounds it makes, and he’s quite adept at imitating them, as well. I found this particular book to have more integrated sounds (with the text) than other text-with-audio boardbooks.
Nugget & Fang
by Tammi Sauer, Michael Slack
I cannot tell you how much I love this book! We picked it up at the book fair and it’s such an adorable story, I want to share it with everyone. Two best friends, Nugget (a minnow--and I am so stealing that name for my next pet) and Fang (a shark), hang out in the ocean, having a grand time. Until, that is, Nugget goes to school, where he learns sharks eat minnows (the reading, math, and science lessons offer enough humor to keep kids engaged until they are older, as well). Nugget can’t be friends with someone who will eat him! Fang is saddened, and does all kinds of tricks to make Nugget his friend again -- inviting him to dinner, having an octopus ink-write a greeting, and so on. Nugget is not swayed, until Fang swoops in to save the entire school from disaster.
The illustrations are vibrant without being overwhelming, although Fang’s over-exaggerated teeth may be too much hyperbole. Ethan enjoys following Nugget, who is an orangey-pink color, through the pages.
Llama Llama Nighty Night
by Anna Dewdney
My son doesn’t have the patience for a regular-length Llama Llama book, but this boardbook is just enough and reinforces the bedtime routine (which is quite similar to our own routine). Anna Dewdney’s lovable llama takes a bath, brushes his teeth, goes potty, put on pajamas, and then snuggles in to read some books before bed.
BONUS: Alpha Block
by Christopher Franceshelli
Sturdy S and unique U make their debut in this simple yet fun cardboard-cutout book. Each page boasts a letter cutout, with “A is for…” as the text and an example of the letter on the next page (in this instance, “apple,” paired with a picture of apples in a picnic scene. The cutouts present opportunities for children to interact more effectively with the letter, either by tracing it or putting little fingers through the cardboard holes.
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