Talking to Angels

Watson, Ester. Talking to Angels. First. Orlando, Florida:
Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996.

Told from a siblings point of view, Talking to Angels showcases the special bond between a child with autism and their siblings. Through vibrant pictures and simple text, the narrator takes the reader through all the unique and special atributes acquired from a sibling that has autism.

Over all, I felt that this book was really a wonderful story. It was a simple read, and it also was accompanied by wonderful drawings that made me feel as if they were a little more authentic to the text. In reading some reviews of the book before I purchased it, I was suprised by how many people did not enjoy the illuatrations. Also, I found it refreshing that the main character in the text was a female. It seems all to often that male's are focused on with this disability, when they are not the only ones effected by it. Also, the story was not in a school situation, it specifically focused on the relationship of the sisters. School settings are also a common thread that I have run into with text that feature autism, and while they have their place, it is good to see text that can be used in relation to a family as well.

Because of all the comments I found on the illistrations of this book, I looked up the author. I found that the method and creatively behind her art work is a common thread in all of her writings as well as she also creates her own art work. Also, when I went back to the Autism Today website, I found an article called "Thanks to Children with Autism". It was a collections of short writings from families with children who have autism, expressing how thankful they are to have some one with autism in their families. Some of the writings are specifically from siblings, while others are from parents. It was interesting to read a book from the view point of a sibling and then read segments from people who actually are siblings to a child with autism.