Penguin Days

Lauren and her family have to take a very, very long car ride to go to Auntie Joss’s wedding and Lauren doesn’t like to go to new places or do different things. Her cousins will be there, but Lauren would rather stay home and be with her friend Irma. And she is going to have to be a flower girl and that is different from anything she has done before. She doesn’t want to. And when Lauren doesn’t want to do something, she has a hard time controlling her anger. She has trouble looking people in the eye and being in new situations.

Author Sara Leach has written an excellent story told from the point of view of a young girl who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and has trouble dealing with so many things. The voice of Lauren is pitch-perfect and really expresses her specialness well. The infusion of humor makes this very accessible to all children. Charming illustrations by Rebecca Bender complete this sweet story. This book will give parents and teachers an excellent portal to difficult discussions about the Autism Spectrum and the many children affected by it.