🟢 Book Review: The Girl Who Thought In Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca

RATING: 🟢 Recommended

REVIEWER: Prescott Coombs

REVIEW METHODOLOGY: Louise Derman-Spark's Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books from the Social Justice Books Project, Teaching for Change

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So here’s the first lesson: feeling odd or offbeat? Being DIFFERENT might just be what makes you so NEAT! Don’t let doubt hold you back, not for one minute more. STAND TALL, and like Temple, MARCH RIGHT THROUGH THAT DOOR!

In The Girl Who Thought In Pictures tells the story of Dr. Temple Grandin. Diagnosed with autism in her youth, Grandin struggles initially. However, with inspiration and support from family and educators, Grandin finds strength in the unique workings of her mind, and eventually comes to great success as a scientist, inventor, and educator. Author Julia Finley Mosca’s vocabulary is appropriate for learners of all ages, and the rhyming verse is equally entertaining to read silently or aloud. Illustrator Daniel Rieley’s artwork is bold, bright, and evocative, showcasing the emotional depth of Grandin’s experiences and the intricate inner workings of her mind. 

Mosca and Rieley do an excellent job of representing Grandin’s experience of autism, handling the subject of neurodiversity with frankness and tact. The writing presents neurodiversity as it should be recognized, using phrases such as “different, not less” in describing the ways in which Grandin thinks and interacts with the world. Of equal importance, the book also avoids the common pitfalls that stories about neurodiversity are often prone to; Mosca never refers to Grandin’s autism as some sort of superpower, nor does she present it as something Grandin succeeds in spite of. 

All in all, The Girl Who Thought In Pictures serves as an excellent addition to any library. Equally entertaining, informative, and inspiring, this telling of Grandin’s story is an excellent representation of autism and neurodiversity. More than this; however, it is also an earnest and heartfelt tale of overcoming adversity, growing up, and finding one’s way in the world. A wonderful introduction to a lesser-known woman in the sciences, this book also features a plethora of additional resources for parents, educators, and more advanced readers looking to learn more about Grandin’s life, work, and experiences with autism

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ABOUT THE REVIEWER

REVIEWER BIO: Prescott Coombs was a student at Portland State University and took Zapoura Newton-Calvert's Social Justice in K12 Curriculum course. Their volunteer work was a partnership with Reading Is Resistance and the Social Justice Books Project from Teaching for Change.