Recently I had the opportunity to check out the new book, Boo’s Beard, written by Rose Mannering. This heart-warming story not only delivers a positive message for all ages, but the illustrations are absolutely stunning.
Tom can’t read facial expressions, so he doesn’t understand the other children. And they don’t understand him. Playing at the park can be lonely sometimes, but luckily Tom has his dog, Boo, and Boo is easy to understand. She wags her tail when she is happy and whines when she is sad.
One day, Boo gets her beard all knotted up in the bushes. A little girl named Lydia sees Boo and stops to talk to Tom. Boo’s beard has been tangled into a big smile, and Lydia explains to Tom that it’s the expression that someone makes when he or she is happy. She twists Boo’s beard into a variety of other expressions, explaining each one as she goes. When Lydia invites Tom and Boo to play with the other kids, they join her. By the end, Tom understands the meaning of his own smile.
According to the CDC, one in sixty-eight American children have an autism spectrum disorder, which can lead them to having difficulty reading facial expressions. Through reading Boo’s Beard, children who struggle with identifying facial expressions will be instructed to more accurately recognize emotions using Boo, a friendly dog character. Those who do not struggle will be introduced to, and taught tolerance for, the fact that some people do have this problem.
This heart-warming story is not only extremely useful for those who are part of the autidm community, but is also a valuable resource for all children to read. Along with the beautiful illustrations and positive message, this is a must have for any home library.
Boo’s Beard is currently available with a SRP of $16.99.
