The One and Only Sam

A Story Explaining Idioms for Children with Asperger Syndrome and Other Communication Difficulties

Aileen Stalker
Illustrated by Bob Spencer

Hardback: £13.99 / $19.95

2009, 216mm x 279.4mm / 8.5in x 11in, 64pp
ISBN: 978-1-84905-040-1, BIC 2: JNSG VFJD JMC

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2010 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards - Silver Medalist, Health Issues

One rainy morning after breakfast, Sam's Mother said to his Father, "My goodness, George, it is raining cats and dogs outside." "That's strange," thought Sam. When he looked up into the sky outside, he couldn't see any cats and dogs anywhere, no matter where he looked. All he could see were giant raindrops and big puddles...

The One and Only Sam is the story of a boy who, like many children, struggles to understand non-literal expressions. This can be a particular problem for children with Asperger Syndrome, who tend to be literal thinkers. Throughout the story, Sam encounters a range of common idioms - such as "curiosity killed the cat," "on top of the world," and "full of beans" - each of which is accompanied by an illustration of its literal meaning and one depicting its actual meaning, helping children to explore what the idioms sound like and why they might mean what they do. The book also suggests simple steps that children can take whenever they encounter new and unfamiliar idioms that are not covered in the book. A glossary, and a list of additional books and websites, provides further resources to help children learn about idioms and their origins.

The One and Only Sam provides a fresh and fun approach to exploring common idioms for all children aged 5 to 8, as well as those with Asperger Syndrome and communication difficulties.

Blog posts

‘The One and Only Sam’ wins a 2010 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award!

25 October 2010

JKP’s The One and Only Sam by Aileen Stalker has won a Silver Medal in the Health Issues category at the 2010 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards! Illustrated by Bob Spencer, The One and Only Sam provides a fresh and fun approach to exploring common idioms for all children aged 5 to 8, as well as those...

Aileen Stalker on writing The One and Only Sam

15 November 2009

"The use of pictures to illustrate “what it sounds like” and “what it really means,” also helped the children to gain better understanding of the idioms. But I also realized that any child understands language better if it has context and relates to their own experiences..."

By the same authors

Author information

• Aileen Stalker
• Bob Spencer

Subject areas

• Education
• Parenting
• Asperger Syndrome, Autism and other Syndromes

Keywords

• Asperger syndrome,
• autism,
• communication,
• fiction,
• inclusive classroom,
• parenting,
• special education,
• speech and language therapy

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