Books are so important to our family. We love reading them together, and as my oldest has grown, his pre-bedtime reading has become such a cherished part of his routine. He loves picking out a book each night to take to bed.
I am always looking for new books to add to our home library that introduce my kids to new concepts that we have been talking about during those important moments over the dinner table, during car rider line or as we’re getting ready for bed. My kids love books that have bright illustrations, a main character who loves to help and solve problems, and fun text for Mommy and Daddy to read with gusto.
And a book recently added to our collection fits the bill!
I was recently introduced to the wonderful book, “Squilly Fixes the List in the Mist” by Tashia Beaty. She is an educator and an advocate for childhood literacy. She is passionate about advocating for children with autism and writes children’s books on diversity and inclusion that help promote acceptance of all children as well as bring awareness to autism.
Squilly is a chicken with an extraordinary gift and love for numbers. Although he looks like the other chickens, he is different in his capabilities with numbers and represents many children today who have been diagnosed with autism. The book helps early readers learn about number sequence and rhyming words.
When I sat down to read this book with my kids, my boys immediately commented on how cute Squilly was – and they are SO right! From his cute little strut into the farm, to his no-nonsense way about getting down to business to help fix the problem, you can immediately tell he is is quite the go-getter.
My boys were cheering Squilly on, and were eager to help him succeed by calling out the next job on the list in correct number order to help him.
My three-year-old is VERY into rhyming words right now, and this book helps him with that concept beautifully. Hours after we read the book, he was reminding me of rhyming pairs. “Mommy, list rhymes with mist! And rest and best!” This is something that we sometimes struggle with, so I loved how well it helped him.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the list of reading comprehension questions at the end. My soon-to-be first grader loves discussing books after we’ve finished reading them, and this list gave me some pertinent questions that really helped him understand the story and just how unique Squilly is!
And the Squilly fun doesn’t end there either! Tashia Beaty’s website includes some fantastic worksheets for your kids as well. My boys loved coloring and working through number sequences with Squilly. I am sure that Squilly will be a routine story in our bedtime reading!
“Squilly Fixes the List in the Mist” can be found on Amazon, and more information about the author can be found on her website and blog, Autistic Treasures. And a second Squilly book will be on shelves June 20! In “Squilly Sorts it Out,” Squilly is back to use his gift of numbers to help the Gardener put her fruit back in order. This book is a great way to teach children ages 3-7 about sorting, colors, and numbers and provides teachers with the ability to teach children about acceptance while integrating academic skills that are essential to a great start to a child’s education.
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