My first selection of recommendations aren’t about autism but are books that my 4-year-old autistic daughter loves.
Ada Twist Scientist and Rosie Revere Engineer
These books are great for fighting against the idea that girls can’t be scientists and engineers.
Meg and Mog
Despite being over 40 years old, the Meg and Mog series of books is still a winner; the illustrations are bold and bright, the text is incorporated beautifully into the images and the stories are nice and short.
The Princess in Black
The Princess in Black fights goat eating monsters with her trusty steed Frimplepants. The stories are a little dull to read as an adult but they’ve made an impression on my daughter who now enjoys role-playing with her as the princess and my partner and I as either Frimplepants or the goat eating monster. I have just purchased the fifth book in the series, The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare.
Abracazebra
The Bear and the Piano
If you practise, you will get better and if you keep practising you can get really good. This is the moral behind this beautifully illustrated book about a bear who finds a piano in the wood where he lives.
There’s a Tiger in the Garden
There’s a Tiger in the Garden is an enjoyable romp through the protagonist’s grandma’s garden with the application of imagination.
Jill and Dragon and Jill & Lion
Two alternate ways of looking at stories and adventures with great imagery and
Tales From Acorn Wood
The books from the Tales From Acorn Wood series are the first books my daughter became obsessed with after her nursery gave her a copy of one for Christmas. Try reading Postman Bear first, followed by Fox’s Socks and then Rabbit’s Nap and you’ll realise there’s a (probably unintentional) plot arc across the 3 books.
One Ted Falls Out of Bed
I hate to fill this post with books by Julia Donaldson as she gets a lot of promotion already but I wanted to add this book and only just realised she wrote it. It has a great rhyme to it and combines cunting up and counting down.
Aaaarrgghh Spider!
It is impossible to filter every influence in your chid’s life, my daughter became scared of spiders despite us never freaking out at them at home. I bought this book as part of a strategy to make spiders more friendly.
Dogs Don’t Do Ballet
A book that says you can do anything you want no matter what other people say. If you want to be a ballerina then you can.
I Want My Hat Back
This book is simply funny, especially if you give the characters funny voices.
Birdsong
Birdsong is a simple but funny story, no moral or lesson to learn but quite funny.