Look, it's me!

A story about Zara and her new classmate  – Bodie Finch who is Autistic. She is at first scared and doesn’t understand him. With the help of an aide who comes in to assist the teacher, she becomes friends with Bodie and learns what life is like for him.

I liked that it showed the perspective of a teacher and classmates learning to understand behaviour that they may initially categorise as ‘strange’ or ‘different’. 

I personally am not a fan of the illustration style used – scrap materials making the scenes using collage. I found it to be a bit off-putting and not very inviting for a kid. 

Also, it is impossible to encapsulate all autistic experiences as everyone with ASD are unique. However, I’m not sure what it is, some parts of the book felt a little off to me, though that may be because this book appears to be geared towards those around ASD rather than those living it. 

I think this book could be a great teaching moment for parents and teachers to show kids – especially if they are classmates with an Autistic child. It may aid in their understanding of their classmate and provide a safe space for them to ask questions as Zara does in the book. I’m not sure it’d be appropriate in all situations but feel as though the story could be generalised to accepting differences in the classroom as well.