A little boy upsets his playmate while they play with the train set. His teacher talks to him about recognizing his friends' signals ("Friends have traffic signals too."): Green is I'm happy; yellow is I'm sad, confused, or bored; and I'm mad is red. ( )

A blond, freckled boy joins a short-haired Black boy in a school/daycare setting (a teacher is portrayed, but no other children). The blond boy asks if he can play trains with the Black boy, who agrees, but then he takes over the game, and his playmate gets upset. The teacher gently explains emotions using a traffic light metaphor, and together they examine what just happened, and how it could go differently next time by paying attention to signals (go, slow down, stop).

Little Senses books are created "for any kid who sometimes feels anxious or overwhelmed, but especially for kids who are on the autism spectrum or have sensory issues."

See also: Want to Play Trucks? by Ann Stott and Bob Graham ( )

I am thrilled to see a third book in Samantha Cotterill's Little Senses series. These are excellent storytime reads on their own, with charming illustrations and simple plots, but they also portray children on the spectrum in ways that validate their experiences and help friends who are not on the spectrum to understand and interact with them.

This title deals with social skills and playing together, something many, if not all, children struggle with as they grow up, whether they are on the spectrum or not.

The endpages begin with a black child playing with a train, next to a box of train tracks. A tousle-headed white child joins them, caregiver behind the two, and asks "Can I play too?" The black child welcomes them and they begin interacting. The white child wants to build a track and the black child agrees. But the white child has a very specific idea in mind and gradually, and increasingly aggressively, takes over the play. Eventually it ends in a tugging fight and yelling and the white child hides under the table, upset by the seemingly inexplicable argument.

The caregiver (a white, brown-haired woman) shows the white child on the spectrum a story about trains and traffic lights and how they keep things moving smoothly. With smiling traffic lights as signals for recognizing a friends' feelings. She explains what happens - that the friend wanted a turn and didn't feel like they were listening. Cards in hand, the white child returns and they try playing again. This time, they use the cards to watch for the signals on their friend's face and together they build a great train track!

The publisher's description says both children are boys, but there's not really any indication of this in the text. Cotterill's cheerful illustrations are spotted against a plain white background. The children's dialogue is different in color and font, making it clear who is saying what.

Verdict: This is a book that preschool and early elementary kids can empathize with and all children, whether or not they are on the spectrum or have sensory issues, can benefit from the traffic light signals that teach them to watch for their friends' emotions. This also make a fun storytime read-aloud, with silly sounds and a gentle, relatable storyline. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780525553465; Published March 2020 by Dial; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library