The boy meets Maya, and she turns smooth and white, just like when she met Leo, showing her acceptance. However, with a story like this, it's plain to see that animals of all shapes and sizes can have feelings of discomfort and may need help from us, which I think is a powerful message to share with children. Following his journey to finding a friend, I’m certain, can be very relatable to many children and adults. 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. The word autism only appears in the author/illustrator page and the blurb, and never as Leo being autistic, but 'having autism' and a 'child with autism'.

Leo and the Octopus (Paperback) - Waterstones Leo and the Octopus (Paperback) - Waterstones

One day Leo meets Maya, the octopus, and the more he learns about her the more Leo starts to believe that isn’t alone in this world anymore.

After all, animals, especially misunderstood ones, just want someone to reach out and show some compassion. 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. When he meets Maya the Giant Pacific Octopus he builds a friendship that assures him he is not alone.

Leo and the Octopus PaperPie. Leo and the Octopus

Autists are often compared with aliens and there’s a nagging discomfort about this for me, knowing as I do several autistic people. 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.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. It doesn’t work - so for the next time Leo puts up a sign to prevent people from taking flash photos. 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. I believe this book would work well for any primary age when used to support PHSE lessons as it allow for great discussions about inclusion, making friends and being yourself. When Leo meets Maya, she turns white and smooth, demonstrating that she is calm and comfortable in Leo’s presence.