I'm a mom with autism who bought this book for her kid with autism. I think the book was probably well-intentioned but it totally missed the mark. We read it together but then talked about it and decided not to keep it.
Basically the main story of the book is that the little zebra does a bunch of things that his classmates think are weird because of his autism, and his mom is like that's okay because you have all these other things that are good about you. And I do think it's a nice idea to help a kid remember that they have strengths and not just weaknesses. But here's why I DONT think this is a good book for talking to your kid about their autism:
1) You don't have to have "good" traits to balance out things that are hard for you. It's okay if you feel like the fire alarm is really loud. You don't have to balance that out with a redeeming quality.
2) Kids in your class should be nice to you even if you don't have good traits that outweigh your challenges.
3) Not knowing how to approach a challenge or process something isn't a personality trait. Autistic people can learn how to manage these challenges and better navigate their world if someone helps them learn how.
4) Autism isn't just your "bad" traits. In the book the mom zebra is like, there's lots of other stuff to love about you! You are super honest and super fair and have a really good sense of direction and are an awesome listener and learner in class. Like... those are all traits of autism too? But somehow in the book all the "bad" stuff is the zebra's "autism stripe" and all the good stuff is his real self. Autism means that your brain works differently from neurotypical people's brains, and that often means you are really strong in some areas and weak in others. Both the strengths and the weaknesses are autism.
5) Basically the story of the book comes down to little zebra being overwhelmed, ignored by his classmates with whom he wants to connect, (abandoned in his classroom when the fire alarm goes off and then saved by firefighters, which sounds pretty traumatic to be honest), and feeling like no one likes him, and his mom is like "it's okay, I like you because of all the things you're good at." I believe it's well-intentioned, but you don't have to earn kindness from others by being good at things. And the zebra's problem was that people were unkind to him and he was overwhelmed and scared, which never get addressed.
As a little story book of sort of general platitudes that mom likes you, I guess it's fine. As a lesson about autism, it totally misses the mark.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the Authors
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
An excerpt from All My Stripes
“During math class, the fire alarm blared loudly. While the children in my class were getting in line quietly, I hid under the desk screaming and covering my ears. The class left without me, and I was scared until the firefighters found me.”
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 21, 2022
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 18, 2021
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 26, 2020
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 3, 2015
This is a disappointing example and I would NOT even read that part of the book to my child as it teaches children THE ABSOLUTE
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 13, 2015Top reviews from other countries
hyperhoppo
i would only recommend if your child actually understands they have a disability ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 1, 2018
Jynxiie
Half the book are not pages for children
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 18, 2021Taylor D
great for higher functioning kiddos!
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 4, 2017
