Leo wonders if he’s on the ‘ wrong planet‘. He feels like an alien, battered by a world that is ‘ too bright’ and ‘ too loud’. What’s more, it seems as though the other children do not understand him. It leads Leo to retreat to his cardboard box, where he might read and feel safe. The sensitive descriptions throughout the book of what it is like to have autism are accurate and perceptive on so many levels’. This is a great book to read with children and help them understand that making friends can be challenging for some. That sometimes we just need to have some understanding and that can make a big difference in someone’s life.

The public aquarium offers a respite and a potential friend. Colors and sounds are muted. If you've ever been to a public aquarium you'll slide right into Leo's experience: water and creatures move at a slower pace, voices are muted, and water plants offer gentle motion while staying anchored in their places. Leo and the Octopus is a brilliant book for building empathy; it really raises awareness of what life is like living with autism. ✭✭✭✭✭” The keeper invites Leo to touch Maya. When he does she turns white. This means she’s calm, and likes Leo! That’s another amazing thing about the Octopus. Their colour shows how they are feeling. Leo wishes people were colour coded too. Marinov's experience with autism comes from her son, and her reading of 'The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome' by Tony Attwood - a (as far as I know, neurotypical) controversial psychologist who still uses the term Asperger's/Aspie despite it's outdated terminology, and reviewed the story for Marinov. Before I even had a chance to put this book on display in my class library, children were asking me about it. There’s just something about the fluorescent orange that really gets them! ThemesOne day Maya turns red for scared, and Leo has to rescue her from too many people. He knows just how she feels! A gentle story about a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome, all while we learn about the amazing creature called the Octopus. In this three-week Writing Root, children will receive a letter with a cuddly toy octopus from Leo, the main character, asking them for advice. They will explore and discuss how everyone is different and how it is important to be considerate and respectful to how individuals feel. They will celebrate the uniqueness of individuals, discuss the importance of inclusion and indirectly explore some of the considerations around autism. Children will have opportunities to talk about their feelings and what can trigger different feelings in different people. They will explore a range of emotion adjectives and the non-verbal cues that can accompany them. They will then go on a journey with Leo to investigate and learn all they can about octopuses. They will learn a range of skills building towards writing a fact file exhibiting all they have learned. This will be published as a brochure for the London Aquarium. Children will have opportunities to explore writing in simple past and present tense, using plurals and different sentence types. This Writing Root will be enriched by planning a trip to an aquarium to look at octopuses firsthand. A great non-fiction book to accompany this unit is Obsessive about Octopuses by Owen Davey. Synopsis of Text: It seems that books (and films) revealing the astonishing complexity, intelligence, and emotional capacity of octopuses are having a moment. This story and others lead me to root for that trend and hope it expands and sustains. This story has so much going for it in fostering empathy and awareness of neurodivergent children, but it is much more than that. Even with the neon orange color accents, the tone and pace of the text and the images create a subdued, supportive, and engaging structure for readers of all kinds to dive right in to the story, and into the discussions it could spark. This story shows a strong relationship between an octopus and a child with autism. The text has strong PSHE and science links. This text explores issues around neurodiversity and provides opportunities for discussion as well as exploring strategies to cope in a neurotypical world. The story also encourages children to be curious and reflect on their relationship with the natural world. Links and themes:

The sensitive descriptions throughout the book of what it is like to have autism are accurate and perceptive on so many levels" (Professor Tony Attwood, author of Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals). Text Rationale: But one terrible November day, the lives of Daniel and his family are changed forever when an accident renders Daniel a shadow of his former self. As Daniel retreats into himself, his family slowly begin to fall apart, without this bright boy at the heart of their lives. This brilliant activity book is designed for autistic people and their friends and family to enjoy. I am a teacher of special needs and have sisters who also have special needs, so when the opportunity to review a children’s book based on a boy with autism, I jumped at the chance! One afternoon Leo notes that a particularly large, noisy crowd is stressing out Maya. (Read this wonderful book to discover how he knew that.) His empathy and concern allow Leo to solve his own puzzle, figuring out how he might support and protect his new friend. Leo's experience with Maya (being curious, non judgmental, and learning more) allow him to apply those strategies with an actual human, one who appears curious, too.Through Leo, Isabelle Marinov provides the reader with many facts about octopuses, and we learn about them as he does. I found the information so interesting that I ended up watching My Octopus Teacher! I can certainly see how Leo was fascinated by Maya, and I believe that children of all ages reading this book will be too, making this a great book to read alongside an ocean-based or environmental topic. As a young child growing up with Asperger’s Syndrome, Leo can find the world to be a stressful, lonely place. We follow Leo’s journey as he begins a heart-warming friendship with an octopus named Maya. My Comments Leo and Octopus, by Isabelle Marinov, illustrated by Chris Nixon, is a sensitive and perceptive story about a little boy who struggles to make sense of the world until he meets Maya the octopus. ‘Sensitive, accurate and perceptive’

She is also a teacher and has extensive experience working with autistic children and their families and caregivers. Isabelle Marinov has written a sensitive portrayal of the challenges of autism in her picture book Leo and the Octopus. Sensitively illustrated by Chris Nixon, this story looks at how young Leo often is overwhelmed by his senses: lights become too bright, noises too loud. He finds refuge in a dark, cardboard box, where he can reset himself when everything feels out of control. Then, one day Leo meets Maya, an octopus who seems to react similarly to uncomfortable situations – turning red when she is frightened, and white when she’s calm. Leo understands how Maya is feeling and identifies similar traits in himself. Through his relationship with Maya, Leo begins to look at the world through someone else’s eyes and to understand their difficulties, which enables him to make his first human friend. An excellent picture book to help classes in KS2 understand and empathise with how children on the autistic spectrum experience the world’ The octopus keeper is not judgmental, he is observant and curious, recognizing those same traits in Leo. With keeper's encouragement and acceptance, Leo launches a personal mission to learn all he can about Octopuses, sharing those facts via a notebook on several spreads. Impressed, the keeper invites Leo to interact with Maya the octopus, providing ever more challenging puzzles. All of which Maya solves, abby the way.

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Overall, I loved this book and can see myself reading it to my son, once he’s a bit older, and having discussions about how sometimes people can make friends easy, some need more help, and what we can do to help. I would recommend this picture book to young children and to parents to read to their youngsters about how being different is okay, and how can we show acceptance and care to everyone. Leo struggles to make sense of the world. He doesn’t understand the other children in his class, and they don’t seem to understand him. But then one day, Leo meets Maya. The story itself never uses the word autism - only that Leo has difficulties with 'living on the wrong planet' and feeling like an 'alien', that he doesn't know much about friendship, is shown to have sensory sensitivities, becomes heavily interested in information about his new octopus friends and then infodumps on the new child who joins the story later.

He doesn’t enjoy the world outside his bedroom. It’s too noisy, too bright, and too confusing. He’d rather read a book inside his large cardboard box house he has made. Leo struggles to make sense of the world. He doesn't understand the other children in his class, and they don't seem to understand him. But then one day, Leo meets Maya. Leo and the Octopus is a beautiful story about finding comfort in others, even when differences divide you from others. Maya is an octopus, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn't alone in this world, after all.Maya is an octopus, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn’t alone in this world, after all. Win a copy of the book and a mood-changing octopus plushie! Endorsed by Professor Tony Atwood, author of Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals Discover a heart-warming new picture book about a little boy with autism and the octopus who helps him understand the world. What a wonderful book. Isabelle Marinov handles autism with incredible sensitivity, whilst somehow also conveying so much about what it’s like to see the world through the eyes of a child who has Asperger’s Syndrome. Both Leo and Maya are fully developed characters, and their blossoming relationship is a joy to read.