I liked the fact that this book is illustrated with photographs of a real child and his family. The illustrations clearly convey the caring bond between Russell, his parents and his siblings. Sometimes photographs can be more evocative than even the most sensitive drawings.

Carol E. Watkins, M.D.

19 of 21 found the following review helpful:


Helpful for Family Members  Mar 24, 2000
I found this book extremely helpful in educating my family about my son's diagnosis. Not only did my younger nieces and nephews enjoy the book, but it was a simple and straight forward way of explaining austism to adults as well. This book contains many pictures and and describes how Russell can be a happy child and brother, and yet be very different. My original copy is out on loan and I will be ordering another.

29 of 35 found the following review helpful:


Broke my heart!  Oct 26, 2000
As the parent of a child with autism, I was very excited by the possibilies this book offered. There is limited availability of books for children on autism. I was saddened though as a I read this book and looked into Russell's eyes. The pictures made him seem so isolated from his family and the world. All children have gifts and this book did not share Russells' gifts. It did not make me want to know Russell only feel sorry for him. My son's brother did not want this book read to his classmates as it would make them feel sorry for his brother.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:


Captivating photos from the life of Russell  Aug 18, 2003 By Bonnie Sayers "autismfamily"
A book about autism for children is by Charles A. Amenta III, M.D. He is the father of three boys, one is autistic. The book is black and white photographs of his sons, showing how his son relates to his siblings and parents. There is a two page introduction for parents and then captions under each photo. The last page lists some resources.

This is a great way to teach the reading public about autism by example within the home setting in these family photographs. His siblings can use sign language as well and have fun at the breakfast table. There is a photo of Russell deep in thought while in the bathroom. The photos reflect the daily rituals an autistic child has and how a family makes the best of it.

The book shows Russell as a happy engaging boy who is well loved by his family. An excellent book to read to siblings, have relatives read, other kids who may know the child with autism and need to gain some further insight.

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Helpful for children & adult family members - even teachers & professionals  Jul 02, 2005 By Jeanette A. Smith "Jennie Houghton Smith"
I am a medical professional with lots of experience in psychiatric & social disordersm and I recommended this book to a group of women (Veteran's wives) with high rate of autism in their children. I learned a few new things from this book myself.

Dr. Amenta has written a very compassionate, insightful, and informative book that works for children, extended family and also for teachers & professionals dealing with autistic children.
The photos are ingenious; they convey much more feeling and information than any illustration could.
The language is simple, and understandable for children.

The one or two reviewers who stated this was "sad" or "disappointing" are way off-base, I believe.
Dr Amenta makes it clear that this is ONE case of autism and that other autistic children may function at higher or lower levels of social awareness & insight than Russell does. This is stated several times in the book.

Rated 5 stars for helping children, family friends & relatives, and teachers understand what autism means - and for providing a loving, insightful look into one family's experience.

See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com