Autism, The End of the World, and More Great Kids’ Books!

This picture book is an absolute joy. It’s a celebration of stimming that centers four neurodivergent children. Asbell directly addresses young readers: “When you’re feeling overwhelmed / And the world’s too much to bear.” He invites readers to stim to relieve stress. One child flutters hands by their ears, another tickles the air in front of them to see the sparkling lights. Some use their feet and entire bodies to dance and move. The illustrations are vibrant and exuberant. It’s a book that invites movement.

This wonderful picture book, which releases April 16th, also celebrates stimming and neurodivergence in general. While the author bases the story on the experiences of her non-speaking autistic son, she is also neurodivergent. Doyon advocates for all ways of communication and experiencing the world to be celebrated, not shunned. It follows a Black son and mother as they go to church, play in fall leaves, and spend a lovely day together. This is Doyon’s love letter to her son. Kaylani Juanita’s illustrations are expressive and depict the child stimming and chewing on sensory toys.

This middle grade novel also releases on April 16th, and it’s going to be one of my favorite books of the year. It’s a fantastic sci-fi middle grade about autistic kids being part of an experiment where The Dot gets put into their brains, tracking their vitals and releasing serotonin when it senses the kids are stressed. Paige was seven when The Dot was surgically placed inside her head, and she was told she was getting her tonsils out. She only finds out about The Dot when she sees an email about her on her dad’s computer. Then she hears that The Dot is being sold to a social media company, and Paige is desperate to get it out of her brain. She contacts other autistic kids who are part of the study for help. Paige is also queer, and there’s lots of good friend drama and first crushes. This book was hard to put down!

Although this book doesn’t release until July 9th, I decided to go ahead and get it on everyone’s radar. It’s a really sweet illustrated novel-in-verse for younger middle grade readers. It’s about a girl with undiagnosed autism and anxiety who wants to befriend a new girl at school. Unfortunately, the new girl leans into being mean and popular at Isabel’s expense. It alternates perspectives between the two girls. It’s a great book for understanding autism and anxiety. There aren’t too many books for younger middle grade readers, so it helps to fill an important gap. It’s very accessible and engaging and will be a great book for initiating important conversations.