Abstract

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.

Aileen Stalker is an experienced Occupational Therapist with a Masters degree in Special Education. She has over 30 years' experience of assessing and treating children with a wide variety of diagnoses and has presented papers at numerous conferences, developed handbooks and manuals for clinical therapeutic use and worked at a senior level in several Occupational Therapy departments. She has also trained as a tutor for children with dyslexia and recently retired from her private tutoring and occupational therapy practice. Aileen is the co-author of Understanding Regulation Disorders of Sensory Processing in Children, also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
The One And Only Sam is more than a picturebook story - it tells of a boy who struggles to understand non-literal expressions and it covers definitions of these expressions in the course of the story line. Kids ages 5-8 will learn about idioms in an easy manner and provides simple guidelines kids can use whenever they cover new idioms not covered here.
The Midwest Book Review
This 11.25x9" picture book is written especially for children with Asperger syndrome and other communication difficulties, but will also be entertaining for siblings and other children ages 5-8...The book suggests simple steps children can take when they encounter other unfamiliar idioms, and includes a glossary of further idioms and lists of books and web sites.
Book News Inc.
with its well-organised format and extensive coverage of most frequently-used idioms, it should take its deserved place in any teacher's reference book shelf.
Frontline
"The One and Only Sam" is a valuable resource for children with Asperger's or other special communication needs and their parents and teachers.
Bookwatch
This book gives examples, origins, and explanations of idioms... was designed for children with Asperger syndrome... this book very useful for children with communication disorders, thir families and early intervention professionals.
Journal of Autism and developmental Disorders