Be sure to mark your calendars for February 10th at 9am EST to learn more about the creation of The Friendship Puzzle. One lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of this book. Details below.
By Julie L. Coe, Inspired by Jennifer Maloni and Illustrated by Sondra Brassel
I am an aficionado of children’s books! I love a well-written story that helps to explain a complicated theme to children. I also appreciate when an author tells a story that she is connected with due to personal experience which then transcends the norm of a ‘children’s book” as it helps parents, too. Such is the case with The Friendship Puzzle.
This book is about a child who helps to teach her fellow classmates about acceptance and inclusion of a peer that has autism. Inspired by the true-life story of Dominic and Dylan Maoloni who are family friends of the author. Beautifully written and illustrated, the book engages while it instructs. Children as young as kindergarten age will be able to glean from the content of this book a valuable lesson as well as a template for helping and including others during play and within the classroom.
There are components of this book that make it outstanding. First, Rebecca Landa, the Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders from the Kennedy Kreiger Institute wrote a warm foreword to help parents, children and teachers learn to understand more about autism. The sections following the story are filled with activities and discussion questions to assist educators and parents with having meaningful conversations about autism and book. Lastly, the book includes information about IAN Project – The Interactive Autism Network.
Listen to Julie, Jennifer and Sondra talk about the creation of this book on my radio show, Learning and Laughter February 10, 2010 at 9 am EST or on iTunes (toginet.com) We will be giving away a free autographed copy of the book to one lucky listener!
About Tiffani Lawton, R.N.
Share Your Thoughts...