We're Amazing 1,2,3! A Story about Friendship and Autism

by Leslie Kimmelman, Mary Beth Nelson (Illustrator)

A Sesame Street Big Golden Book about a new character with autism.

We're Amazing 1,2,3! is the first Sesame Street storybook to focus on autism, which, according to the most recent US government survey, may, in some form, affect as many as one in forty-five children. It's part of Sesame Street's autism initiative that has expanded to include a new character with autism. Elmo introduces his longtime friend Julia to Abby, who's a little confused at first because Julia isn't saying hello. Elmo explains that Julia has autism, so she does things a little differently. Julia sometimes avoids direct eye contact, flaps her arms when she's excited, and is sensitive to some noises. But Abby soon learns that she also has a lot of things in common with Julia. All kids want love, friendship, and to have fun! They are all wonderful, each in his or her own way.
See amazing in all children through the Sesame Street Autism Resources Page: http: //autism.sesamestreet.org/

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Disability, Ebooks, Monsters, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Engel Dreizehn]

Very good early-children introduction about people with autism. I am mildly autistic, so I am very happy for the introduction of Julia to the sesame street family.

[T. Okerberg]

Autism is dickey difficult for little children to understand...

I grew up watching "Sesame Street," and when they created Julia, I was elated! A friend's little boy is autistic. This hits close to home, but it's amazing of PBS to do this.

[Tweedledum]

ANiother useful addition to books to help young children learn about ASDs

[Cara Byrne]

“Flapping is what Julia does when she’s excited. Elmo jumps up and down, and Abby spins in a pirouette. That’s what they do when they’re excited.” Elmo and Julia have been friends since they were young, and they like to play together, even though they do things a bit differently. When Abby meets Julia, Elmo explains to Abby that Julia has Autism, which is why she does not immediately respond to Abby’s questions, why she flaps her arms when she is excited, and why she is sensitive to sound. Julia was first introduced in 2015 as part of Sesame Street’s “See Amazing in All Children” initiative. This Golden book is one of the best early readers that explores autism for a preschool audience, whether they are already familiar with the Sesame Street characters or not. My four-year-old loved this title and wanted to read it several times, each time asking more questions about autism.

[Hestia Istiviani]

I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

Sekilas dari judulnya, mungkin akan berpikir bahwa buku ini punya tujuan untuk mengajarkan anak berhitung. Namun ternyata dugaan awalku salah.

Dengan judul "We're Amazing, 1, 2,3!" ternyata ada pesan baik yang disampaikan melalui kisah Elmo, Julia, dan Abby. Sejak awal, kita akan mengira bahwa Elmo dan Julia adalah sepasang teman yang memang gemar menghabiskan waktu berdua. Mereka bermain balok, bermain tebak-tebakan, dan berhitung. Hingga suatu hari, Elmo dan Julia bermain ayunan di taman. Di situ, pembaca akan paham mengapa dalam judulnya ada kata "Amazing."

Sebuah cerita anak yang memperkenalkan bahwa adanya perbedaan bukan untuk dihindari, melainkan untuk dipahami dan dirangkul bersama.

[Nicola]

I'm not quite sure how Miss 3 felt about the book; she seemed to think it was okay. That's the thing with spectrum disorders, some of the presentation applied to us and some didn't so I'm not sure if she felt a personal connection. I did kind of wonder if kids would understand that not all kids with autism present in this way; hopefully the general message of friendship and inclusiveness anyway.

Miss 3 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Bethany Tyler]

Noticed that my little siblings had gotten this book out of our library so, me being interested in it because it said "about autism" on the front read it. A nice kids book explaining autism.

[Maydene Raison d’etre]

autism

Simple explanation on autism for young minds. My child really enjoyed this story as we have a family member with autism. Different not less!

[Molly Palmer]

Prifect

[Tandria]

We're Amazing 1,2,3! was about Elmo and his friend Julia. Julia has Autism and Elmo has learned to adjust to her needs and accommodations. Elmo and Julia go outside on the playground and meet a new friend named Abby but Abby doesn't understand why Julia is ignoring. Elmo explains in a kid friendly way what Autism is and how it affects people. This is a great book for younger kids. It's very attention catching. All kids love Elmo and the illustrations are very colorful. They correspond well with the text. Elmo, Elmo's dad, and Hooper (the store guy) all understand Julia's condition and they never not once made her feel sad or stereotyped her, neither did Abby. It is a good book to explain to children that younger children with disabilities are just as capable of doing things as those without.

[Cynthia Gutzwiller]

Celebrate your Differences

This is another wonderful Sesame Street book on Autism. they are exceptional books on how to treat children who are a little different. They are all three about Julia, her family and Elmo.. It shows how others friends should treat her and how she can have friends. Julia's dad told Elmo that she does things a little differently because she has autism. He told him a few things to do if she stops talking or puts her hands over her ears. Julia's friendship is worth a few differences. Everyone has differences.
Julia and Elmo have played together since she was small. Elmo likes to build brick towers and Emily likes to build in rows. Elmo likes to play with cars and Julia likes to play with the wheels. They like to play a lot of things together.
I found this book on a website for free for an honest review.

[Kayla]

Elmo introduces a new friend, Julia, to Abby, who is confused because she won't say hello. Elmo explains to Abby that Julia has autism so she behaves and does things differently than they would. She waves and flaps her arms, she's sensitive to noises, and will not look people in the eyes. However, the more time Abby spends with Julia, the more things she finds that they have in common.
A book from the Sesame Street series accomplishes the goal of teaching children that everyone is amazing in some way or another. However, these differences are what makes the world so special. Autism is a puzzle that people do not know a lot about and it affects everyone differently, but with a little bit of understanding, it will make no difference that is why I gave this book 5 stars.

[Meg Deeney]

This book is about Elmo, Abby, and Julia having a fun day. Abby finds Elmo and Julia at the park, and wants to join, but Abby doesn't respond to her question. Elmo says that Julia is autistic, so she might do things differently. Abby changes the way she asks, and Julia says she can play with them. They have a fun day playing and get snacks at the end.

This is a very cute book that explains different facets of autism in a succinct and child-friendly way. I would recommend this book for parents and teachers as a way to teach about what autism is and how to adapt to having an autistic friend. It can help children learn to be empathetic and patient.

[Kathleen]

Neurodivergent Content: Julia is autistic. There are some issues with Julia because she was introduced as a collaboration between Sesame Street and A$. In the text, the issues are that Elmo introduces Julia to Abby by saying that Julia has autism instead of being autistic, though Elmo might get a little bit of a pass because Elmo's repeating what Elmo's daddy told Elmo; and that the story isn't so much about Julia, as it's about neurotypical characters being introduced to someone neurodivergent and pointing out the differences.

[Dewi]

Elmo punya teman baru : Julia. Cerita dimulai dengan hal-hal yang disukai dan bisa dilakukan Elmo bersama Julia. Kemudian Abby datang dan bertanya mengapa Julia tidak menjawab pertanyaannya. Elmo pun menjelaskan kondisi khusus Julia pada Abby.
Buku yang cukup simpel untuk menjelaskan autisme buat anak. Dan yang saya suka adalah adanya penekanan bahwa lebih banyak persamaan dan hal-hal yang bisa dilakukan bersama anak autis.

[Corinne]

This book is a simple way to introduce autism to your children with the character of Julia. It is a longer book with a lot of words so it is meant for children with a slightly higher attention span than the average toddler; however, my 3 year old niece loves it because her big brother is on the spectrum and she likes the way they explain some of the things Julia does differently from the other characters in the book and why that is okay!

[Dean AG]

My 5 year old autistic daughter loves this book. She's taken it to school to read it to her class mates. It really helps her being accepted for who she is and not "some naughty girl". Of course, not all autistic children are like Julia in the story, but it is handled so well in the age old brilliant way Sesame street has handled everything.

[Gwen]

Differences can be amazing

A good book for helping children understand how people with autism are similar to them while also explaining some of their differences. By using a familiar character like Elmo the author makes the subject more approachable. The information was given in a fun story. Well done.

[Cyndy]

Julia and Elmo are together at the playground. They love to swing together. Abby arrives at the playground and wants to play with Elmo and Julia. Julia takes a little while to answer, so Elmo talks to Abby about Julia doing things differently because of her autism.

[Belle Brown]

Great book and really engaging

My preschooler really loved this book. It is a great book to teach young children about autism. Cute pictures too. Would recommend for children 3 to 6.

[Connor]

So Sweet!

I’m doing research for a video essay, and decided to read this because it was part of said essay. As someone with autism, this is so amazing! I relate to everything Julia does and its presented in such a kind and kid-friendly way! Awesome work :D

[S.A. Krishnan]

Excellent story for children for accepting each other and also explains autism

Julia, Elmo and Abby play with each other and understand how each are different and also how to play with people with autism. Lovely story for children.

[Kenson and kirra]

mom said julia acts a lot like me

[Robert Ellington]

I'm interested in any book on autism, and this was a really good one. My daughter did a book review of this as well.

[rahul khedkar]

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[André Habet]

useful as an intro to children living with autism. lots of kindness here, but Julia seems to have very little agency here. wish it was from her POV.

[Stephanie tatman]

Aww

I love julia she helps see the world in a different perspective and she shows her friends how everyone is different

[Melissa]

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child with autism or even wants to know a little more about it.

[Amber Burns]

Perfect for my kids

Got it so maybe my daughter will understand her brother better. I think it's perfect. It's going to be a great bedtime story.

[Tracy]

We're all on the spectrum, dudes, let's be cool with each other. Minus one point because I am old and resent Elmo.