Kate Gaynor

This is the story about Simon who has autism and makes friends with a boy in his class by being himself. I did not really like this story as it never outright says that Simon has autism. I do not think that will help much in explaining and introducing children to autism. Also, the turning point for Simon's friend to start liking Simon is when Simon yells at another child who is described as "horrible." It does not talk about what it would be like for a child with autism to yell at one of their own friends the story only addresses Simon's reactions to this "horrible Hettie" character. I do not think I would read this book in class as there should be better books for children to read to understand autism.… (mer)

A friend like Simon is told from Matthew's point of view. I enjoyed this book as it is told from a child's perspective. The bright colored illustrations were beautiful! Matthew is telling the story of meeting Simon for the first time in his classroom. He tells Simon about the mean girl Heidi, and Simon stands up to Heidi. Matthew talks about his small differences, such as changes in classroom seating and his supplies. Matthew accepts his friend Simon even though he is different. This story is a great story for accepting differences, helping children to understand that we all have value even if we are a little different.… (mer)

"A Friend Like Simon" by Kate Gaynot shows a student interacting with Simon, an autistic child, on the first day of school. Simon's classmates learn over time that Simon likes to spend time alone, so they think he doesn't want to spend any time with him. After encouragement from the teachers, the other students try to include Simon on their field trip, and they learn things about him during the day that help them understand him better. With this new knowledge, they are able to form a relationship with him and understand that sometimes Simon prefers his alone time. I thought the story wasn't a very engaging book, and there are better children's books out there that dig a little deeper into the autism. I think it does explain some of the behaviors of autistic children well though.… (mer)