Barbara Bucklin

Andrew's World Barbara Bucklin

This collection of stories is for children on the spectrum, with a main character who resembles them. In the first story, Andrew goes shopping; in the second one Andrew takes a trip on an airplane; in the third story, Andrew learns to cope with canceled plans. This series is inspired by Elizabeth's son Andrew who is on the spectrum. She and her sister Barbara, who has a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis, were talking about how difficult it was for Elizabeth to find books for Andrew. None had characters that resembled him or appealed to his literal view of the world. Most children's books had too many abstract concepts and didn't stick to a linear story line that he could follow, and much less learn from. Elizabeth and Barbara thought, "Why not create a series of books based on social stories that work for kids on the spectrum?" These stories are intended to prepare children on the spectrum for the life experiences, transitions, emotions, environments, and skills that many of them are unprepared for. With these books, a child can curl up with a loved one and learn about upcoming events in an enjoyable way through Andrew's lens of the world. Andrew's actions and reactions will provide a behavior model for other children to learn from, and the Skills Checklists will help adults work with them to apply what they learned. Images in the book series are inspired by 10-year-old Amelia's illustrations. Amelia is Barbara's daughter and Andrew's cousin; she is thrilled to contribute her artistic talents in a meaningful way to Andrew and friends like him.