Book Review: The Girl Who Thought in Pictures (The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin) by Julia Finley Mosca.

"Different, Not Less" Dr Temple Grandin.

Dr Temple Grandin is internationally recognized as a renown scientist and spokesperson about her own life as a person with autism. She seeks to help others to understand that people with autism may have differences which make them unique and special.  Dr Grandin shares her own experiences so others can gain insight; demystifying what it means for someone to have autism, helping to remove preconceptions and prejudices.

"The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin" is a wonderful picture book written by Julia Finley Mosca and illustrated by Daniel Rieley.  Presented as a children's book with rhyming couplets and engaging pictures, the book outlines Dr Grandin's life including her struggles in childhood (such as speech, regulating her emotions, social interactions with teachers and peers).  The reader journeys with Dr Grandin as she discovers her own unique features and recognizes that she is "different, not less".

Whilst the book provides a simplified version of Dr Grandin's life, it provides an age-appropriate introduction to Autism for children to understand.  It introduces concepts and themes about visualization (seeing in pictures), difficulties with communication and social skills, acceptance of support, facing adversity, accepting one's weaknesses and strengths, problem solving and learning from mistakes.  All children will be able to relate to these themes. 

We learn how Dr Grandin's perseverance and determination helped her to "march right through that door", leaving readers with a powerful message to embrace their unique characteristics and to stand tall when facing challenges or new experiences.
 
At the end of the book, there is a letter by Dr Grandin to the reader, some fun facts and a timeline of her life.  These supplements help the adult reader to understand more about this incredible woman, providing more of the "back story" for those who may be reading about Dr Grandin for the first time.

TheWorld Health Organization (April, 2017) report that the prevalence for autism is now 1 in 160 children. This means that most children will know of a child who has autism; whether this is within their own family, their school environment or local community.    Despite the prevalence of autism, there continues to be many prejudices and preconceived ideas about autism in our society.  Books such as "The Girl Who Thought in Pictures" are important for educating both our children and society at large, introducing them to autism in a way that can be related to through the life of Dr Temple Grandin.

I highly recommend this book to families, therapists and schools.  I have created a set ofprintable resources to accompany this book which includes writing prompts for a character study, story re-tell, an examination of the themes and a word find puzzle. These printables are FREE for a limited time (offer ends October, 2017), so download them today and buy the book!

BOOK STUDY PRINTABLES

Also available from our TPT store!

THE GIRL WHO THOUGHT IN PICTURES:THE STORY OF DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN - AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.

THE BOOK DEPOSITORY

Have you read "The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Temple Grandin"? I would love to hear what you think of the book!

 Cindy Chuan is a registered Occupational Therapist practising in Sydney Australia.  She has two young children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun.

Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT 

Disclosure: This product was gifted to Your Kids OT for the purposes of a review.  Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Affiliate links may  be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale.

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