Books like My Brother Sammy

Having recently reviewed a children’s book that introduced the idea of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a way that I found slightly problematic, (see Looking after Louis review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) I was excited to find My Brother Sammy. Becky Edward’s depiction of a brother learning to accept a sibling with Special Educational Needs was written in a way that I found to be both moving and realistic. The narrator of My Brother Sammy doesn’t want a brother that is ‘special.’ He is confused by the sadness and resentment that he feels when Sammy doesn’t reply to his hellos or join in with his games. Then something wonderful happens. Sammy’s older brother begins to enter Sammy’s world; his frustrations fade and he starts to appreciate their differences and form the brotherly bond that he was so clearly craving. This creates a wonderfully positive message about how to interact with children with ASD or other special needs. Sammy’s brother achieves his connection with his brother not through forcing him to engage in the sorts of things that he himself enjoys, but by taking the time to recognise and welcome the ways that Sammy is ‘special.’ ‘Sometimes when we go to the park, I don’t play with my friends. I just lie in the green grass with Sammy instead and we watch the sunshine shimmering on the leaves of the trees. Then we both smile because it’s beautiful in a shimmering sort of way.’ This extract perfectly demonstrates Edward’s simple yet emotive writing style which helps the reader to empathise with both Sammy and his brother. The words are complemented by David Armitage’s beautiful water-colour illustrations. Armitage uses colour to reflect the changing emotions of the narrator: red when Sammy knocks down his tower, grey when he admits his frustration at his ‘different’ brother and then bright greens and yellows when the brothers’ friendship starts to blossom. My Brother Sammy would be a valuable resource for any parent or teacher who wanted to encourage discussion about disabilities and develop ideas of empathy and tolerance for those different to ourselves.