I was recently talking with my friend, a counseling graduate student about a few things going on in our classroom community and he recommended Benny Doesn't Like to be Hugged. Zetta Elliott wrote the text and Purple Wong illustrated the book - this is their fifth collaboration. A little girl narrates the story and describes her friend and their relationship.
The reader will discover rhyme and a repetitive phrase. We the reader begin the story by learning about a few things that Benny does like and then we learn, "Benny doesn't like to be hugged." Then we learn about things Benny likes with a small attribute he doesn't like related to what he likes; "Benny likes clothes that don't have any wrinkles." Then the readers learn about behavior things Benny does that might appear a little bit different.
These two pages make this a must have book. "If he needs things done a certain way, I don't give it a second thought. Because true friends accept each other just the way they are."
Neurodiversity. Such a rich word and a new word for me thanks to the author's note. Zetta Elliott was inspired by her friends that have children with autism and realized while she had diverse books, she didn't have one about promoting neurodiversity. She hopes this book will offer readers a model of compassion and understanding, just what my community might need to continue the great work they are already doing.
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