Blog Book Tour – Spaghetti is Not a Finger Food

If you’ve ever wondered how someone with Asperger’s views the world, or how their thought process works, then you should get a copy of Spaghetti is Not a Finger Food. Written by Jodi Carmichael and published by Little Pickle Press, the book explores school and home life for Connor, a third grader.

Following is a description from their press sheet:

Follow a quirky day in the life of Connor, a brilliant student with an equally high talent for second-guessing the rules. As both entertainment and an accessible educational tool to help teach students about Asperger’s Syndrome, the book is a welcome addition to schools and libraries alike.

The first thing I noticed about the book is the delightful illustrations throughout, done by Sarah Ackerley. They’re expressive, clean and colorful, but not distracting from the story.

I sat down at the computer with my Connor and we started reading the story together. Initially, I felt like the story moved too quickly from one subject to the next and I thought it may be confusing. But when I took another look at it, I realized that it really is meant to be explored one chapter at a time.

Ms. Carmichael was very detailed in writing as though from the perspective of someone with Asperger’s. She describes the colors, textures, sounds and feelings from Connor’s point-of-view, as well as highlighting how his and other’s actions are perceived and understood. Or misunderstood, which is a frequent occurrence for Connor.

During recess, a misunderstanding arises that culminates with Connor hitting another boy in the head with a bowling pin. I couldn’t help but laugh as he got caught up describing the sound the pin made as it hit the boy’s head, while in the principal’s office. That sounded so much like my son, it was like reading about him at school.

The suggested age range for this book is 8-12. My Connor is only 7, so some of it was still over his head and difficult for him to understand. But I think this will be a great resource in the next couple of years, as he matures and develops a better understanding of language and social skills. If you have a child in the suggested range, this may be a great resource in teaching social cues and learning to understand gestures, expression, and figures of speech.

As a bonus, the publisher reports that they are developing a lesson plan to be used along with the book as a resource in schools.

Spaghetti is Not a Finger Food is available as a Kindle download here.

You can find out about this and other great books by Little Pickle Press by clicking here.