Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism

You know how you read The Cat in the Hat and you thought, that's fun, but why were these small children left at home all alone? That's how I feel about this picture book. Why did the two young girls have to take their younger brother Ian who is autistic to the park all by themselves? Of course, he gets lost and it's really scary. The sisters ask a couple adults if they've seen a little boy and the adults are totally unhelpful. ("No, perhaps he's watching the baseball game.") These grown-ups are so uncaring! Don't you think if you met two frantic girls looking for a lost little boy that you might want to assist them instead of carrying on with your life in this blase fashion? The basic message I got from this book is that if you have an show more autistic sibling your life is really stressful and you have too many responsibilities for a kid your age and no grown-ups will help you. Which I don't think is necessarily the case at all and is a big downer. So I wish this book had been a little more positive.

On the plus side, the illustrations are beautiful and look true-to-life. And the book also explains in simple terms that a little kid can understand some sensory and communication issues that an autistic person might have. show less

Although she loves her younger brother Ian, who has Autism, Julie sometimes feels embarrassed by the fact that he doesn't react the way the other children do - he likes different smells (bricks rather than lilacs), and is fascinated by different things (like the movement of a ceiling fan) - and she gets impatient when he needs special care or attention. Look away for a minute, as Julie does when she, her older sister Tara, and Ian all walk to the park, and he vanishes! Now Julie, whose mother told her that she must take good care of Ian, must put herself in his shoes, if she is to find him again...

I have little first-hand knowledge of this subject, so I am not sure how accurate Laurie Lears' depiction of a young boy with Autism is. It show more seems, looking through the online reviews, to be quite well received by readers who do have some experience in the area. For my part, I thought the story really highlighted how a sibling might feel and react if their brother or sister had this disorder, and that it managed to address those concerns without being either overly sanguine ("everything's just fine!") or too negative. The result is a narrative that will affirm such siblings' experiences, offering them emotional support, while also providing a vehicle for discussion. The accompanying artwork by Karen Ritz ably captures the emotional pitch of each scene.

All in all, this is a most engaging story, one that addresses an important topic with sensitivity and compassion. I recommend it to families with autistic children, and to young readers who have either been touched by Autism themselves, or who want to learn more about the subject. show less

Laurie Lears writes about a girl named Julie who has plans to go to the park with her big sister, Tara. Just before they go, their brother, Ian, is on the verge of throwing a tantrum because he wants to tag along. Ian ends up joining the girls on their walk to the park. During their walk, Julie explains that Ian sees, hears, smells, and tastes things differently. At first, Julie sees this as a bad thing, but after she loses and rediscovers Ian at the park, she has a different outlook on things. I love how Laurie Lears emphasizes that nothing is wrong with being different! I think if I were to read this book to children I would start a discussion about what “normal” is. This would, hopefully, lead them to learn “normal” does not show more really exist, and if someone seems a little different they should embrace and respect it. show less

There are several reasons why I like this book. One reason I like this book is the point of view. I have not come across many books that tell the story from a sibling's point of view. It is beneficial to have a book like this one to show children how siblings can feel when they have a family member with a disability. Another reason why I like this book was the language used. The story was written in a way that made it easy to read and easy to understand what Ian's sister was seeing and feeling. The illustrations also help the reader follow along with the story and are made in a way that looks realistic. The big idea of the story is that siblings of children with disabilities may not always have positive feelings and these need to be show more discussed with children to allow them to share how they feel. show less

One day, Julie goes for a walk with her older sister, Tara, and her brother, Ian. Ian is autistic, so walks with him are different than walks when just Tara and Julie go. Julie takes the reader through the walk and describes how Ian senses things differently. When they are in the park, Julie turns around and Ian is gone. Her and Tara begin to panic because they have no idea where Ian could have gone. Then, Julie remembers that Ian's favorite spot in the park is by the bell, so she runs over to check if he is there. And sure enough, he is. Julie realizes that even though she can get aggravated by Ian, she still cares about him and values the time that she spends with him. I really like how the point of view of this book is from a show more sibling's perspective. This shows how a disability such as autism affects the people close to the person with the disability. I also love how Ian is portrayed as different as opposed to weird or as if something is wrong with him. This book does a great job of describing very realistic scenarios that could happen with a person with a disability and how others may react to it. show less

I absolutely loved reading this book, and I wish that all students could read this book in order to learn more about accepting peers with autism. One reason I liked this book is because of the plot. I have a younger sister with autism, and I completely related with this book, as it is about a child with autism, Ian, who runs away from his sibling, Julie, at the park. Julie is embarrassed about all the strange things that Ian does, like sniffing the wall, staring at a fan, and laying on the ground in the middle of the park. Julie turns her back at the park for five seconds, and when she turns around, Ian is gone. She searches everywhere for him, and when she finally finds him, she is so relieved. On the way home, she lets Ian do all of show more the things that seem strange and waits patiently while he does them. I actually cried while reading this book because it truly hit home for me. The second reason I liked this book is because of the informational note that was placed in the front of the book that discussed how siblings of children with autism feel. It gave the reader information about how to understand these feelings and why these feelings happen. It was very accurate from a sister’s point of view. The main idea of this story is to accept and love those with differences because not everyone is wired the same way. show less

Ian's Walk is one of my favorite children's book I have read so far this semester. Ian is a young boy who has autism, and his two sisters love him but in the beginning, his sister Julie is a little embarrassed by the things Ian does, like smell bricks and lying on the floor. Julie turns her head for a moment and Ian goes missing. In order to find him Julie tried to think like Ian, and that helped her lead right to him. After losing sight of Ian, Julie realized just how special her little brother was. On the way back home Julie and her sister did everything their little brother liked to do and they didn't care who watched.The main character Ian made me think of the children I work with who have autism, and it was bittersweet to read how show more Ian's sister handled his disability. I liked how the story gave insight into not only Ian but his sister Julie as well. In the beginning of the book, they have a note about Autism that the reader can read beforehand to get a better understanding of what Autism is which is great. This book made me smile, and i would love to have it in my library when i become a teacher. show less