The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin (Amazing Scientists)

As the mother of a daughter on the spectrum, this book was immensely helpful. My daughter immediately identified with Temple, and I love the way her autism is presented not as a deficit but as a difference: a difference that changed the world. It's an excellent tool for teaching children about autism, both those who are neurodivergent and neurotypical.

A great book for kids struggling with something that is different or not understood by their classmates. My kids enjoy reading this because of the fun pictures, and I like that it teaches them a prospective different from their own.

Even if we don't struggle with the same challenges as Temple has, we have all felt different at some point in our lives. This sweet story tells of how one girl turned what others saw as a weakness into a super-powered strength. Temple learned that she was different, not less. A wonderful lesson to share with children to inspire them to find their own strengths, even if they are different from everyone else.

I received a copy of this book for advance review, and as a teacher, I have to say--this book is IMPORTANT. It brings the story of Temple Grandin to life in a way that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and women in science. I love that it has more details in the back of the book for those interested in learning more. This is a fabulous book to bring into your STEAM or Social Studies lessons!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review for use in my classroom. I love this story, there are so many ways to use this in the classroom beyond teaching the story of Dr. Temple Grandin! There is a great section at the end of the book that teaches the reader more about her life, even I learned something new! I highly recommend this story for all ages!

This book is beautifully written. It has warm, inviting illustrations and is sure to encourage acceptance of all people. I plan to use this book to teach elementary students about my special ed kiddos before we spend time in inclusion together :)

Julia's story of Temple Grandin is wonderful! Great book for teaching children how to accept and understand people with Autism. The story also inspires children to overcome difficulties in their own lives. I loved Julia's rhyming style used throughout the book. The pictures are also adorable!

I (Katelyn Populus) received an advanced copy of this book and am in LOVE with it! It is wonderfully written and my students (both with and without autism) can relate so beautifully. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

This book is perfect for special education teachers or parents of any children who feel "different." It's the story of how Dr. Temple Grandin started out as a nonverbal child struggling in school and grew up to be one of the most influential woman of our time. It's simple but inspiring. We loved it!

I highly recommend this book for teachers of students with special needs and inclusion classroom. This book is a great representation of differences associated with autism and how perspective can be taught to all students. Great book!
Alyssa
Simply Special ed

This is a great book to help children accept others who are different. It also show children that being different isn't bad. Being different is what allowed Temple Grandin to excel. Because she thought differently, she was able to solve problems no one else was able to solve.

I love this book! The rhyming verse makes it even more enjoyable. The story is inspiring and my kids love hearing it over and over! The book is the perfect way to share that we are all unique and important to the world. I received a free copy of this book to review.

I (Katelyn Populus) received an advanced copy of this book and am in LOVE with it! It is wonderfully written and my students (both with and without autism) can relate so beautifully. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

A beautiful book that proves that everyone can change the world! Beautifully written with a fabulous use of rhyming words, it is a fast and informative read. The illustrations make it even better. A great read to inspired readers of all ages!
*I received an advance copy for review.

My kids are so into biographies right now, and this one is great! I love how it shows how being different can be a wonderful thing.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is perfect for special education teachers or parents of any children who feel "different." It's the story of how Dr. Temple Grandin started out as a nonverbal child struggling in school and grew up to be one of the most influential woman of our time. It's simple but inspiring. We loved it!

I highly recommend this book for teachers of students with special needs and inclusion classroom. This book is a great representation of differences associated with autism and how perspective can be taught to all students. Great book!
Alyssa
Simply Special ed

This is a great book to help children accept others who are different. It also show children that being different isn't bad. Being different is what allowed Temple Grandin to excel. Because she thought differently, she was able to solve problems no one else was able to solve.

I love this book! The rhyming verse makes it even more enjoyable. The story is inspiring and my kids love hearing it over and over! The book is the perfect way to share that we are all unique and important to the world. I received a free copy of this book to review.

Review For Autistic Children:
My boys enjoyed The Girl Who Thought In Pictures. Builder Boy's favorite part was that she invented things like he likes to do. Early Bird loved that there was a book about a real life autistic person. They've never seen anything like that before, and it meant a lot to have a book about someone who was autistic like them. For that reason alone, if you have an autistic child and don't have a moral objection to Temple Grandin, you should get this book so they can have that experience.

For Non-autistic Children:
If you are looking for a book to introduce the topic of autism to a child, this is not that book. It does not explain autism, it does not connect autism with her strengths or sensitivities, and their most likely take away from this book would be autism=thinking in pictures. If you like biographies of women in science, or like diversity in children's literature, then this could be an option you like. There are very nice pictures, a rhyming scheme, and isn't too long to lose the child's attention.

For Parents:
There is a lot of, let's call them "opportunities for discussion-things," in this book. The best thing to prepare you for reading this book with your child is to watch the Temple Grandin Biopic movie. Because this book seems to be a summary of the movie for kids. Which means that it assumes a lot of information that the uninitiated does not have. For example, the door metaphor from the movie makes an appearance in the book, with no explanation. Autistics are often very literal minded; inserting a metaphor without explanation in a books that is ideally marketed towards autistics is not that smart. Also, the way they jumped around in their summary of her life left the teenage daughter of my friend confused as to what actually happened, as she had not seen the movie.

This book seems to attempt to be neutral on the topic of autism. It avoids the person first vs. identity way of referring to autistics by not saying either; or anything at all, really. The only mention of autism is in the beginning when she's having a lot of struggles. Autism is associated only with negative things. Then she grows up, does great, and autism is no longer mentioned. Did she grow out of it? The books might make you think so, if it's your only source of information. The end of the book mentions that Dr. Grandin becomes a famous speaker, while omitting that she has done a lot of that public speaking about autism and being pretty much the first visible autistic adult in an age when autism was still considered to be a child-only "disease." There is a simple timeline in the back of the book, an a short "more about" section. The more I think about it and look at this book, the more I realize this book really isn't about autism. That was my faulty assumption going into it. This is a book about an industrial designer and an overview of how she became one. But despite the title, there is very little mention of her thinking in pictures. But there is a picture and line about how she thinks like a cow. Please don't let autism=thinking like a cow be your child's take away from this. (This insight was pointed out by my friend's daughter, who did not know about Temple Grandin before reading this book.)

The book ends with the positive idea that being different is okay and that the reader (presumably a child) should be okay with that. I've seen that message a lot in books, and seeing it again here I wondered, where are the books telling the reader to appreciate other children's differences, too? Because while you might think that should follow, that's not the message most kids hear, and it's certainly not what plays out on the playgrounds.

So, if you're a children's librarian looking for examples of diversity in children's books, this is a book you should have in your library. If you have an autistic child who would really love to see a real live autistic in a book, this is also for you. If you have a child interested in industrial design or animal husbandry, your child might like this book. But if you're looking for a book to explain or show a positive example of autism, look somewhere else.