What drew me to this book were the extremely vividly bold
and bright illustrations. Once I opened up the book and read the story it
helped me to understand a little bit more about the world of someone with ASP
(Autism Spectrum Disorder). While this book can be for any young reader, it
probably speaks more to children with autism or a child who knows someone with
autism.
Meet Tommy, a boy with ASP. Tommy absolutely loves the sun.
He loves the warm rays, the bright color and is drawn to the sun. It makes him
feel good. When he doesn’t see the sun, his days are harder. Embark on a
special journey with Tommy as he looks for the sun in unexpected places.
I almost find the attraction to the sun a bit of juxtaposition
to the book, because you can see Tommy’s attraction to the light and it’s
brilliant rays. To me this is the meaning behind the book. The illustrations
and colors that the illustrator uses in the book convey the feelings that Tommy
has on a daily basis. When the sun doesn’t shine, Tommy’s mood changes.
I feel there are many different ways to relate to this
story. It is a great read-aloud to provide some in-depth discussion about what
this boy sees in the sun and about the neuro-developmental disorder that is
characterized by interaction and communication with others.
Sunbird is a book for everyone or anyone that looks at the
world in a different way. Can’t that be all of us?
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