Autistic Planet

by Jennifer Elder, Marc Thomas (Illustrator)

Autistic Planet is a magical world where all trains run exactly to time, where people working in offices have rocking chairs, and where all kids dream of winning the chess World Cup. Join us on a journey to this alternative reality, where being different is ordinary, and being "typical" is unheard of!

Full of colour illustrations and written in child-friendly rhyme, this book is ideal for children aged 6 and over.

Jennifer Elder is assistant editor in a book publishing company. She and her husband have two sons, one of whom has ASD. You can read more about their family in the memoirs Sixpence House and Not Even Wrong. Jennifer is the author of Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Genres: Picture Books, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Fiction, Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending saved it from being a little offensive. It's not so much an 'autistic planet' so much as the speaker's own ideal world. As I was reading it I cringed knowing some kids with ASD who would not like this setting, but relaxed when it was just that one person's ideal place.
A mantra in my work place is 'if you've met one kid with autism, you've met one kid with autism.'

[Tamara Zann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autism, informative,

[Megan]

This was the e-book I chose to read.

Audience: Primary
Genre: Non-fiction, picture book
Fiction Twin Text: Rules by Cynthia Lord

Autistic World is a great book that would teach kids a lot about autism. This book won a Gold Medal in the Moonbeam Children's Book Award Non-fiction picture Book Category. The book is about a girl with autism who describes what it is like in her world. Even though she acts differently than most other people, the author does a great job describing how having autism doesn't mean a person can't function in the world. They just do it differently. I would pair this book with the fiction text Rules by Cynthia Lord. This is a great book for elementary students. The book is about Catherine who is twelve years old. She has a brother who is autistic. She gets really frustrated with this at times because she just wants to feel normal, but she knows her situation is different than most. Catherine also becomes friends with a young paraplegic in the story. I think this would be a great way to continue the conversation about differences with students. I also think it would be important to point out that even though we are all very different, we all need to be able to get along and live peacefully in the same world together.

[Kaitlin Garrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elder, J. (2007). Autistic planet. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Do you ever wonder what goes through the mind of an autistic child during what seems to be everyday situations? In Elder’s picture book, she poetically provides insight into the “why” of the persistency, accuracy and intelligence of those with autism. As she describes situations and reactions that most would find odd, the reader is able to get a glimpse into why those with autism find them to be normal. This book is excellent for children to see how their autistic peers are just like them, but just have a different way of doing things. Elder did a more than fantastic job in putting complex symptoms into a childlike viewpoint through her detailed illustrations. Autistic Planet would be a suitable selection to read aloud to a 4th-5th-grade class during Autism Awareness Month to help educate students on Autism and what it is like for someone who has it. This book would also be a great read for a student who has been diagnosed with autism so that they would be comforted in knowing that there are others that go through the same struggles and have the same strengths as they do. I was thoroughly impressed with how Elder described a very complex condition in such a simplistic way.

[Nick Molinet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! this is such a great book to read to children about autism because it takes on the task of teaching children a complex and tricky issue like autism in a fun and relatable way. This is the story of a little boy who sees his autistic friend at school making her "planet" out of clay and she tells him all the things they do there. This book is so great because its not only good for children but for all ages because of the wonderful way it was written and illustrated.

LE: after the reading, have a brief discussion about autism and let children share if they know anyone with autism and then give children a piece of paper the says my planet on it and have them draw what their perfect planet would look like and then discuss some of the things that you can find in their planet.

[Adam Utehs]

This book is about a autistic girl who makes a world out of clay and talks about her world and when our world becomes out of whack this is where her and her friend can come to. this book show kids that this world is not always perfect and things will happen in life that are not favorable to what they want. I like how this book was written in the eyes of an autistic girl because it shows that even is she has mental issues she can still she that the world isn't favorable. I would recommend this book be read to show children these concepts.

[Elise Xuereb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful to help friends, family, and siblings understand the challenges that an autistic person faces. This book takes you to a place where different is normal and being "normal" is not an option. The text is written in a way that is a child-friendly rhyme. They, too, can learn, only they learn differently.

Genre: Children's Picture Book

[Victoria Dimmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a unique viewpoint on an autistic girls view of the world. I would read this book in a classroom so that other students could get a better handle how different people view the world in a different way.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I would like to use to show my students that just because a person is Autistic it doesn't mean they cant do things they just do things different than us. It also shows how brillant an Autistic child can be. It also shows that sometimes we all belong to a different planet.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique take on autism. Really gets inside the girls head.