It was never really the ‘stories’ as such that engrossed me so much in her books as the portraits of her characters that were all so vivid and alive I would often think about something that one of them had done and think that it was someone I actually KNEW who had done it. Front Body Prompts (square for bear, curved for mouse): “_____ Makes Friends” or “How to Make Friends” A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature. Meesha loves to make things, such as pictures and models, but finds it really challenging to make friends. She never seems to get it right, often misreading situations or saying the wrong thing, so comes up with an ingenious solution. Using her creative skills, she fashions her own set of friends from paper, paint, fabric and found objects. Meesha is delighted as she doesn’t feel anxious or confused around her new pals and can take them with her wherever she goes. What was your favourite book when you were a child?Tim and Tobias is the first book in the ‘Flight Path to Reading’ reading scheme and was written by Sheila K. McCullagh. It was the first book that I remember loving and was (guess what) atmospheric, magical and slightly dark.

Normally it involves a long train journey, because that’s the only time that I’m not having to do some of my other work, or look after the kids, or do the washing up, or tidying up the house, or chopping logs for the fire, or putting out the rubbish or any one of the myriad things I have to do in my actual house on a day-to-day basis

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As such, whether you are little or large, autistic or not, Meesha makes friends is a great book for those who may be potentially anxious for an upcoming big event; like a new school year, or for those who could do with a beautifully illustrated reminder that, friendships or not, it’s okay to be content on your own. Arts and Crafts:

The Big Bright Feelings picture book series provides kid-friendly entry points into emotional intelligence topics–from being true to yourself to dealing with worries, managing anger, and making friends. These topics can be difficult to talk about. But these books act as sensitive and reassuring springboards for conversations about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence, and managing feelings.

About Tom Percival

Meesha really can make anything. She will make you appreciate how great it is to just be yourself, She will make you understand that you don’t need to force a friendship. Meesha will make you happy, Meesha will you make smile. Meesha will make you fall in love with just being you.

But when she goes to a party, the same issue arises: how do you make friends? It’s so loud that Meesha retreats to a quiet corner of the room and begins making her type of friends and that’s where she meets Josh, who wants to learn how to make the kind of friends Meesha is making. Though at first Meesha is reluctant, she soon discovers that she has actually made a real friend, just by being herself and sharing her interest with him. Thankfully, Meesha Makes Friends is not a story about the actions we need to take to become ‘popular’. Instead, it shows that we are much more likely to make connections that will last if we let our personalities and our real interests speak out. Oliver Jeffers. For very similar reasons to Jon Klassen, I really admire Oliver Jeffers’ ability to communicate a huge amount of emotion or mood with the bare minimum of marks. I always seem to end up going with the illustrative equivalent of the ‘Wall of Sound’ in music production! An absolute darling of a book. Its portrayal of children who find it hard to communicate, or have specific interests that are puzzling to others, is kind, sensitive and warming' Discover Children's Books I’ve never really been one for reading ‘how to write’ books, which is exactly why I love this book. It’s more like a series of essays on the sorts of thing that you might want to consider if you are trying to write any sort of long form fiction (as I am!). It doesn’t deal with any actual ‘step-by-step’ breakdowns of what to do, but reminds you of key principles, such as being emotionally honest. It’s also hugely entertaining and revealing in its own right.Including others: If you ever see someone who is one their own, try to include them and invite them to play. Ask what they like to do.