Adalyn's Clare

by Kari Dunn Buron, Lou Wisniewski (Illustrator)

Although Adalyn is brilliant in academics and has highly developed, special interests, she is filled with fear and prefers to be alone as she finds most human beings confusing and annoying. Adalyn's best friends are the animals in the science room, which is just about her favorite place in the whole wide world. But then comes Clare... Clare is a therapy puppy who has been assigned to help Adalyn find friends. This is a big assignment for a three-month-old puppy, but she doesn't have to figure it all out on her own. Clare draws support from memories of her own mother's wisdom, some really caring teachers; and the life lessons of a friendly ferret, two very smart rats, an exotic bird and a three-legged, guinea pig. Their stories will entertain, delight and amaze you. With the release of Adalyn's Clare, author Kari Dunn Buron, hopes to draw attention to the realities of social anxiety, the importance of teaching relaxation and other coping strategies and the need for teachers and loved ones to help create valuing relationships for children who have difficulty making friends, like Adalyn. Recommended for young readers in grades 3-6.

123 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Kari Dunn Buron is an autism educational specialist who has worked with children and young adults on the autism spectrum for more than 25 years. Kari was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Autism Project and developed the ASD certificate program for educators at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kari currently teaches in the Hamline program and coordinates a summer camp for teens with Asperger Syndrome. She is the author of When My Worries Get Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children Who Live with Anxiety and the co-author of The Incredible 5-Point Scale: Assisting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Understanding Social Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses and A 5 Is Against the Law! Social Boundaries: Straight Up! An honest guide for teens and young adults

Reviews

[MaryAnne]

An okay story about a child with autism who struggles with anxiety. I personally didn't like that the animals in the story could talk to each other. Mixing realism with fantasy can be confusing, especially if you're trying to teach about the autism spectrum.

[Brett Axel]

It is a good, solid story and it is great to have a children's book out there that features a sympathetic character with anxiety/anger issues. It makes me reluctant to criticize it, but the author falls short in execution. A book identified as for 7 to 12 year old readers should not be so difficult for an average 9 year old to read. Sentence structure is occasionally awkward, and lines have to be re-read in the context of the next lines in order to work out what the author is trying to say. Some word choices show a lack of understanding of an average pre-teen's vocabulary. An older child (11/12) should have no difficulty reading it, but an older child would want a meatier book.

[Carly Landon]

EDUC-K 205 Book Review

[Dawn Hansen]

so informative

Great reading for anyone interested in special children or adults on the spectrum. Story is fun. Dog is wonderful and wise.

[Stacie]

Adalyn is autistic and like many children with autism Adalyn attends a regular school and spends most of the day in an average classroom. Routine is key for Adalyn's success and having a plan when things go wrong is essential. Adalyn's Clare by Kari Dunn Buron is an enlightening and educational story about the life of a child with autism and what can be accomplished when school officials, teachers, and parents work together.

Adalyn is in fourth grade and is very intelligent. She loves animals and excels in science. However, Adalyn struggles with social situations and making friends. Sometimes Adalyn has difficult days and needs a break from things. At times like this Adalyn visits Mrs. Kelly. Mrs. Kelly is a special teacher and in her room she has a pop-up tent for Adalyn to escape and sort out her feelings. One day, Mrs. Kelly had a surprise for Adalyn, a puppy. Adalyn is thrilled and asks to name the puppy Clare. Clare is a therapy dog and instantly makes Adalyn feel safe. Clare's job is to help Adalyn feel more comfortable around other people and to help her make new friends. This is a big task for a little puppy, but with a lot of patience from everyone involved Clare and Adalyn are sure to succeed.

Adalyn's Clare is a timely and well contrived story that helps reader's gain a better understanding of what a child with autism faces each day. The story is an ideal teaching tool and should be used in classrooms everywhere. As schools strive to include children with special needs in the mainstream classroom they must make it a priority to educate other students about the challenges faced by children with autism and other learning disabilities. When everyone works together to help others great things can be achieved.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Adalyn's Clare.

[Susan Walker]

This is a very good book for all kids to read. I love Clare!