Thursday, November 20, 2014

Mark Ludy's Wordless Picture Book, NOAH


http://www.markludy.com/noah-the-wordless-picture-book/
My homeschooler and I were given a copy of Mark Ludy's wordless picture book, NOAH, to review for you.

NOAH is a rich resource in many ways. Yes, Noah from the Bible. That Noah.

A picture book without words telling the story of Noah...hmmm...I wondered how it would be done and done well.  The pictures must be detailed enough to tell the story. And Ludy does tell the story and more. Ludy prompts me with pictures to imagine what the characters might have been thinking as God told Noah to build the ark and Noah obeyed.

The pictures are colorful, visually descriptive - simply stunning. The illustrations are fun to view. The moon, the animals (including dinosaurs!) (I did not ever imagine a toucan sitting nearby the builders while the ark was being built), the scenery, the people are all very detailed. Ludy's version of Noah has Noah quite the accomplished draftsman. The 'blueprint' of the ark is one of my favorite pages in the book.

Obviously, the pictures tell the Bible story about Noah's ark. But there are many other uses for wordless picture books in a homeschool, especially with a child on the autism spectrum.

We still use an occasional wordless picture book in our homeschool.

Sometimes, text becomes an obstacle to meaning and comprehension in autism. The reader is so focused on decoding words that there is no room for meaning. Wordless stories allow us to focus on the story itself, on meaning, with comprehension.

In all things autism, perspective taking is a big deal. Theory of mind. Shared attention. Wordless picture books pack a big punch where perspective taking is concerned.

My daughter and I can hold the book together and describe something each of us notices on each page. I learn a lot about her by what she notices. It allows me to spotlight an important part of the picture, a part important to the plot or theme of the story.

Wordless stories allow us to tell the story from beginning to end in multiple ways. We can tell the story as an observer from outside the story. We can tell the story from the main character's perspective. We can tell the story from any and every minor character's perspective.

Wordless stories allow US to compose the text while practicing perspective taking. We can write a version for a toddler using just one or two words per page or we can write for a first grader or, as a stretch at my house, we can write an early chapter book. (We will not attempt the chapter book yet, but we reserve the right to revisit that idea in the future as she is more developmentally ready.)

And in NOAH, Mark Ludy gives us something extra that facilitates our taking a closer look. He hides a mouse on every page for us to find. Sometimes, my teen w/ an autism spectrum disorder rushes through an activity with a goal to be finished (something she learned early in behavioral intervention). We have worked for years - and continue to look for ways to work on slowing her down and taking her time to be reflective. Looking for Squeaker the mouse slows us down and provides opportunities for us to notice details we wouldn't notice if we were rushing through with a goal of finishing the book.

I adore wordless books and the potential they offer in our homeschool with an autistic child. The wordless stories with beautiful illustrations and a familiar story usually become favorites. I think NOAH will be a favorite that we revisit again and again.

NOAH retails for $19.95 (it is on sale for $16.95 at the time I type) and is a sturdy hardback. Peek inside the book here.  

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”) I was given a copy of Noah to review. I was not paid for this review and am not obligated to provide a positive opinion.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Thank You, Veterans!

Thank you, Veterans and to our service men and women who protect us today! Our little town had a parade.  My wish - a way to arrive at the last minute and still have a place to park. Waiting is a challenge for my kid with autism. We almost didn't make it because we could not locate a place to park.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Question: How to Establish a Special Olympics Program?

Have any of you attempted to establish a Special Olympics program in your town? I desire a figure skating program that takes skaters to compete in a Special Olympics event. I waited two and a half years for a program, and our program turned out to be short (four to six weeks) learn-to-skate sessions that are few and far between. I'm disappointed. We moved from a region with lots of skaters to a region with two ice arenas. The region recently added a third arena. Six sheets of ice. That's it. Finding ice time for a program for kids with special needs is not a priority. Recreational adult hockey leagues are a priority. They pay the bills.

I contacted Special Olympics and the answer I got told me we are stuck with whatever events are offered in this county, and figure skating is not among the offerings. Neither is speed skating. First, getting information is next to impossible for homeschoolers. I learned in May - three years after we moved here - about one track and field program. And two, my kid doesn't DO track and field events. She figure skates.

Isn't there an avenue in Special Olympics for kids like mine, with a sport/talent that isn't offered locally? Stinks for kids who move from one region to another.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Veggietales winner!

My Veggietales winner is Noreen! Noreen, check your email, please! Congratulations!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Wizzy Gizmo In His Image Review



I continue to look for Bible study materials for my teenager with autism. Her academic delays and challenges comprehending abstract text get in the way of meaning and  understanding.

We were given a Wizzy Gizmo product to use and review at home. I chose, "In His Image," the second book in the series of Old Testament Bible stories. "In His Image" comes from Genesis 2.

The paperback is small, 58 pages, easy to hold in little hands.

If you work with an older child with special needs, you may be like me - the content of the material is second to another priority. One of my first things I look for is how much text is on a page. My reader with special needs balks at too much text on a page. Too many words too close together equals too difficult in her mind and if there are too many words her anxiety rises and meaning and comprehension plummet along with cooperation.

I am thrilled to report that the layout of the text on the page is just right. The font is large (in my daughter's mind, this means she is able to process it - she is capable of more, but she hasn't made that discovery yet) and the paragraphs have some space between them. The text is inviting. Whew! The first test - passed!

Authors Justin Cummins and Kirsten Del Aguila begins the book by giving readers a list of the characters and a brief description of each of them.  Wizzy Gizmo is an inventor. A creator. And Wizzy Gizmo knows THE Creator. The other characters are four friends, ages 7-9, and Wizzy's dog and duck. Time travel is involved, always a favorite with my kid. She has lots of questions about the past that I sometimes can't answer, but we enjoy imagining what it might have been like. Wizzy delivers in terms of interest and imagination with this piece of the storyline.  My kid is so disappointed to learn that the Garden of Eden is closed. Last year, she told me she'd like to go see all the animals there. Wizzy Gizmo allows her to do that in her imagination.

I like everything I see here. The story is inviting, the writers spotlight questions about who God is, what God made, what the world was like in the beginning. The characters are interesting to my daughter.  Cummins and Del Aguila also spotlight vocabulary words in boldface type for readers and offer an index of vocabulary words and definitions at the back of the book. Readers are given a page and a half of review questions at the back of the book. Wizzy uses scripture as the foundation for concepts and he explains those concepts using current real life context and examples. For a child who finds the past abstract, bringing the concepts into what she experiences now is really helpful. The stories give she and I a common framework that we can discuss, something we don't always have when the concept is abstract.

The book is priced at $12.99. You may order it from the Wizzy Gizmo web site. Check out the other products and the Free Resources tab. Bloggers on this review chose different products; please click through to see what they had to say about other Wizzy Gizmo resources!

I am thrilled with what I've seen for material. The material is special-needs friendly and I will be watching for more to come in the book series. Join me by following Wizzy Gizmo on

I was given a copy of "In His Image" to review for you. I was not paid for this review and I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
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