Bousquin, Marilyn. "Ian's Walk: A Story About Autism." The Horn Book Magazine 74.n3 (May-June 1998): 334(1).
After reading a few children’s books that include characters with developmental disabilities and reviewing their quality as pieces of diverse literature, I wanted to see how other important resources viewed the books. I found one review of “Ian’s Walk” to be very insightful. Marilyn Bousquin of The Horn Book Magazine explained that while the book is not directly about autism, it describes the relationship between Ian, and autistic boy, and his older sister, Julia. Bousquin gives a description of how Julie accounts for her brother’s actions by explaining in a “sensitive yet short-fused voice” how Ian does things “differently.” This term could be offensive to others who do not like to portray people with developmental disabilities as “different.” She also states that the author never explains what autism is beyond “Ian’s brain doesn’t work like other people’s.” This is an important fact for someone who is looking for a book that would help explain specific facts about autism to others. Bousquin provides the reader of her review with examples from the books text that allows the reader to see how autism and people with autism are presented in the book. She also gives a helpful description of the style of the illustrations and the meaning behind their presentation, explaining that “Low-key watercolor illustrations casually offset Ian’s idiosyncrasies with Julie’s frustration and impatience; the pictures appear as spontaneous and unselfconscious as a snapshot in a family album.” After reading the book, “Ian’s Walk,” and the review published in The Horn Book Magazine, I feel that the review gave a thoughtful explanation of how the book presented issues of autism, while providing helpful criticism that would allow people to decide if this book could be useful to them in their search for quality books on this topic.
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