My Brother Charlie

Wow. This book was so powerful and I actually teared up while reading it. Especially in two parts... "I have learned from Charlie that love doesn't always come from what you say. It can also come from what you do. And so we do right by Charlie. We love Charlie strong. We watch over him with the might of angels. We have to." That text melted my heart. I think it's important for kids to know that just because someone says, "I love you" doesn't mean that they actually do; their actions will show their love. The second part I loved was, "Charlie has autism. But autism doesn't have Charlie" WOW SO IMPORTANT. This is the explanation of person-first. A person's disability does not define who they are... they are much more than a disability and show more that is prevalent in this book. I loved this book and would love to have it in my classroom. It really shows how wonderful people are if you have the patience to look past their disability and get to know them. show less

This book brought me to tears. From experience, I know the fear that comes with being told by doctors that your bother might not ever let you hug him, kiss him, or say, “I love you.” Doctors told my family and I that my brother would probably never do all those things, but he does. This book gives a perfect representation of what life is like to have a sibling with autism. I enjoyed seeing Charlie grow and learn how to show love in different ways and his family accepting his differences, loving him for who he is. I also like how the book ends with them completing a puzzle and Charlie putting in the last piece. I think it is not a coincidence that he is not only putting in the last piece to complete the puzzle (like he completes his show more family) but also that a puzzle piece represents the complexity of autism. Charlie has autism, but autism doesn’t have autism. This is such a powerful statement, and my favorite part of the whole book. show less

"My Brother Charlie" is about a little girl named Callie talking about her twin brother Charlie who has Autism. Callie points out the similarities and differences between her and Charlie. One difference she talks about is how Charlie has Autism. She expresses the hardships and beautiful moments that Charlie and their family go through. One hardship they had to deal with was knowing early on that Charlie might not be able to tell his family that he loves them. He shows it in his actions though and eventually tells Callie he loves her. Throughout this book, the reader sees how Charlie and his family deal with his diability and show how much they all love Charlie no matter what. Overall, I really loved this book. Having the opportunity to show more see how Callie and Charlie interact and how their family deals with Charlie's disability have helped me feel more educated on Autism. It was also great to see Charlie able to be true to himself in every way with his family's unconditinal love. This story shows that just because someone has a disability, it doesn't mean they don't have the ability to grow in a positive direction. I would definitely read this book with my own students to educate them on Autism and to help promote acceptance for it. show less

Jake's Review: Mom this book reminds me of me and how I have Spina Bifida. Lots of people treat me differently because I am a little different than them and they don't understand me. (Sorry, my tears are blurring the screen) Sometimes people are really mean to me like kids treat the boy in the book. He is just like Chad at school who has autism and I like playing with him. You just have to play with him a little differently and keep away from him when he is in one of his moods. I would be Charlie's friend if he went to my school, I like kids that are different like me - they don't treat me like I am weird. I liked how you could almost feel the pictures, like in those touch and feel baby books of Jesse's (Jake, dude, those BABY books, show more used to be yours) The pictures are drawn kinda weird though.
Rating: 9/10

Mom's Review: This book had a very personal response from me, since my child has "special needs" as well. I cannot tell you how many times we are treated differently and ignorantly because people don't understand. Some of the things that have been said to Jake or to our family are just plain rude. I try to use these situations to educate those about spina bifida, but I cannot tell you how many times I just want to smack people because of their ignorance. (Just so you know, I never have, but have been tempted -- even to friends and family who haven't thought before they have said something)
Now back to the book. This is a beautiful, sensitive and simple explanation of Autism written by Holly Robinson Peete (Yup you old timers Officer Judy Hoffs from 21 Jump street) and her daughter Ryan. Ryan's twin brother R.J. has Autism and wanted to help the world understand her brother and those other families/friends who are living with Autism. I loved how they explained that the little boy Charlie loves them, but his words to express this just get locked up inside him. It is the most wonderfully true and thoughtful explanation of the struggle that autistic children deal with. It also did an exceptional job of explaining the struggles that siblings have to deal with when their brother/sister has Autism. It also explains how frustrating it is for Charlie that he has autism, and how he wishes he didn't have it either. Many books deal with how the families cope, but don't usually mention how frustrating it is for the person that is autistic. I loved the line about how Charlie has Autism, but Autism doesn't have Charlie. The fact that this book is told through the voice of the twin sister makes it more realistic and heartfelt. Information card at the back is fantastic as it tells other kids that autistic children are just as much fun to play with, if you give them a chance.
Review: 10/10 show less

The main idea of this book is that love is expressed in different ways in different families, especially in a family with a child with autism. Each family is made up of very different people with different personalities. In a family where one member has autism, this is especially apparent, but it does not mean that their family is "worse" than any other. There are many positive things that a child with autism can bring to their family/the world.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I loved that this book was told in the first person, from Charlie's sister's point of view. I think that this will offer much more for children to connect with; maybe the children reading this book have a sibling with autism. They will benefit greatly from show more hearing a book told from a similar point of view. Callie, Charlie's sister, goes through many struggles but also has many beautiful moments with her brother. This is important for young readers to see and relate to. For example, Callie describes her struggles on one page: "There are days when it's hard to be Charlie's sister. Sometimes he can ruin the best play dates. Other times he seems so far away, like when he won't look at me. Or speak. Or play." On the next page, Callie describes her pain when she wishes to connect with Charlie more: "I wish I could crawl inside Charlie's world to move things around for him and for me." Then she describes the joy she receives from her relationship with her brother: "There are good times with Charlie, too--when Charlie looks right at me and welcomes me with his smile...That's Charlie's 'I love you,' said in the silly ways we play together." I think that this point of view is especially important for young readers. They will see that, just like them, Callie faces some struggles and pain in her relationship, but that there are so many joyous moments as well.
I also liked this book because it challenges readers to broaden their perspective. Oftentimes, I feel that children with autism, or individuals with autism in general, are simply clumped into an "undesirable category." Some people have no idea of the profound gifts and talents that people with autism possess. We choose to lump people with autism into one group instead of noticing the thousands of complexities and nuances that each individual with autism has, just like us. For example, one page of the book lists some of Charlie's special talents: "Charlie is good at so much. He knows the names of all the American presidents! He's a fish in the water. He has a special way with animals." Another example of the beauty of Charlie is stated at the end of the book. The end of the book reads, "If you ever get to meet my brother, you'll feel lucky to be his friend. He won't care if you have the coolest sneakers, or if you are the best at sports. He'll just like you for who you really are. That's Charlie. I'm blessed to be Charlie's sister." show less

I really liked this book. It took the perspective of a young girl named Callie who has a brother, Charlie, with autism. The book takes a look into the challenges that are faced by having a family member with autism. I found the characters in the story were very well-rounded. Callie shares both her positive thoughts of Charlie, as well as her negative feelings. Callie expresses all of the things that Charlie can do, but also expresses that there are times it's hard to be Charlie's sister. Along with this, the book also pushes the reader to focus on tough topics like having a sibling with autism. Although there may be many challenges, there is so much one can learn and admire as well. For example, as Charlie plays with Callie, she learns show more “that love doesn’t always come from what you say. It can also come from what you do." Overall, the big idea of the book is to find the good in others and admire them for who they are and all they have to give, just as Callie does with her twin brother, Charlie. show less

My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete is about a little girl and her twin brother Charlie, who has autism. She talks about the ways they are the same and the ways they are different. She also talks about the positive things and the negative things, and ALL the things he is good at. This book sets a good example for children who are around other children who have disabilities. I really love the illustrations in this book. I like how the heads are bigger than the bodies.