My Brother Charlie

My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete (and Ryan Elizabeth Peete)

Holly Robinson Peete wrote this book with her daughter Ryan. It’s about their family’s experience when Ryan’s twin brother was diagnosed with autism. With brightly colored pictures and simple text, it is a good introduction for younger children, particularly those who may have an autistic family member or classmate.

The positives are many: it can be hard to find books about autism that feature people of color, just as it can be hard to find books about autism that feature girls (although I have those too, stay tuned). Because autism is mainly found in white males, other groups are sometimes overlooked. While the book does tend to focus on the positive aspects of the sibling relationship, it also shares how hard things can be. There’s a nice section in the back where Holly explains how she’s gotten involved to help and Ryan lays out some things kids can do to help peers with autism. Her ideas are full of kindness, although won’t be possible or true for all people with autism.

Things to be careful about: If you’re familiar with autism spectrum disorders, you know that each and every child is different. Although Charlie is able to eventually say the words “I love you” to his family, this is simply not going to be the case for EVERY child with autism. The book does put a reasonable amount of focus on Charlie showing his love in nonverbal ways though. There are exactly two areas with vaguely religious undertones. One where Callie mentions her “Charlie Blessings” list where she keeps count of how she’s blessed to be Charlie’s sister and another where she says that her family watches over Charlie with the might of angels. One final caveat, at the end of her suggestions for children, Ryan states “People with autism are exceptionally smart, but their brains are wired differently. It can take them longer to process information. Please be patient.” While this is certainly true of some children it is not true of all children that have been diagnosed with a spectrum disorder. Just like all children, children with spectrum disorders have a wide range of mental abilities from very gifted to those who would be considered mentally retarded.  The advice to be patient however, is certainly helpful for children to remember.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – None.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.