I was recently given the treat of previewing a children's book due out soon (May 2009) that benefits kids with Autism.Where is Eleanor? written and illustrated by James Connelly. It is based on the author's french bull dog, Eleanor who lives a healthy lifestyle in Los Angeles dining on her preferred kibble oatmeal. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the autism charity, Generation Rescue. The book will be available in both storybook (hardcover) and coloring book (paperback) formats
Where is Eleanor? invites children into the life of a playful and quirky pup. This highly interactive book encourages kids to play along with Eleanor from the first page, where we meet her - to a big surprise "Ending". Kids will find a new friend in Eleanor (or Ellie, as my daughter preferred to call her 'new puppy friend').
A superb book for children with Autism:
An image of Eleanor is in the foreground throughout the 18 page book with constant size and placement. For children with autism who often seek out sameness this simple consistency is key and allows for an easy transition as the pages are turned. The illustrations are line drawings with just a touch of accent color - a delicate balance between simplicity and just enough background detail. In the coloring book children will be able to color the pages and complete the pictures by drawing items like Eleanor's treats or her food bowl. A favorite page shows Eleanor seated in the car with the instructions to draw Eleanor's seat belt. Safety first!
Where is Eleanor? also works with the often difficult (for children on the Autism spectrum) of "Wh" questions - mostly dealing with the concept of "Where". ie. Where's the food bowl? Where's Daddy? Where's the treats? Where are we going? Where's the seat belt? etc.
Both of my children enjoyed reading and playing along with Eleanor in Where is Eleanor? and look forward to its official release next month. My 8 year old son with Autism loves to draw and loves animals - preferring to socialize with pets (of the live and plush version) more so than people.
He decided to draw his own picture of Eleanor on the computer, which I am sharing below:
For more info: http://www.myjpconnelly.com/
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To buy the book from Amazon.com:
3 comments:
Excellent review. I'll have to check that one out.
Again, another great drawing from him!
I loved this book and I covered the drawing pages with clear shelving paper so that my students can draw in it again and again.
It's a lovely book for any child.
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