弟弟的世界 My Younger Brother's World

This book is written from the perspective of an older boy,
as he shares several incidents
about his younger brother who has autism.

We don't have immediate friends and neighbours who have autism,
so books are one way we seek to understand them better!

As parents, we have the power to build our kids' empathy
and nurture them to be allies, to include others,
one book and one conversation at a time!

Why we love this book

• An honest and earnest look at
• how it is like for a child to have a sibling with autism,
• the thoughts he might have
• how the parents try to help him understand the behaviour
• Highlights some features that children with autism may have
  (do note that every single individual with autism is different!)
• Highly uncomfortable with sudden changes,
  things that are too complex,
  or certain noises
• When stressed, may respond by hitting own head
  or shouting
• Has obsessive interests
• Seem to prefer to play alone
  and many more

The author strives to amplify the voices of children, and
raise awareness on various issues so that more people care and see them,
thereby making the world a better place.

A particular story shared by the author really left a deep impression.
In the reading guide that comes with the book,
the author shared that previously,
all he knew about autism were through books and magazines.
For a few months, he sat in with of group of children with special needs
for storytelling sessions.
In that class, there were a pair of twin boys who rarely participated in group, but were always drawing amazing worlds of intricate designs on their own.
There was once the author felt moved to join their world,
and quietly added a drawing to their paper.
This unwelcome gesture resulted in a boy pushing him away forcefully,
and the other boy hitting his own head with his hands.

The author really regretted his rash act,
and wrote this book to express his apologies,
and we can see elements of his real-life incident,
reflected in the story 《弟弟的世界》that he wrote.

It's eye-opening for me as I share with my kids,
that we can write stories to bring attention to social issues,
and help others through our words.

Recommended for Ages: 4-10
Pages: 34
Format: Hardcover
Language: Simplified Chinese
Author: 刘清彦
Illustrator: 陈盈帆