Book Review: Goldiboy and the Three Apes

 Ready for an Isspeshal story?

 

Goldiboy and the Three Apes..--- An Isspeshal Fairy Tale --  yes, you guessed it right! It’s a spin-off on the popular fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The spin here is that Goldiboy is a teenage boy, with a dazzling, golden smile. Goldiboy likes things ‘Just Right’. The smell of a Thai curry is off-putting for him, nor does he like the gooey pasta. But a gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich, yes, Goldiboy loves it!

Maybe you will think that this Goldiboy is fussy? We would say that he is ‘neurodivergent’. You and I perhaps fall in the ‘neurotypical’ category. But does that make a ‘neurodivergent’ teenager any less than us? No, ‘we are same same but different’.

A gorgeously illustrated Goldiboy and the Three Apes is a peek into the life of kids on autism spectrum disorder. The picture book has been conceived and penned by Ashiish V Patil, an autism dad, for his son Rishaan, who was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of two and half years. This picture book is Patil’s way of getting ‘neurodivergent’ and ‘neurotypical’ kids and their families to get to know each other, to shake hands and embrace their sameness and uniqueness.

The picture book, which has testimonials from celebrities and parents to autistic kids, seeks to simplify what autism could mean. It’s a spectrum disorder and thus one autistic kid will not necessarily be similar to another. Goldiboy likes to listen to music, say ‘excuse me’ or say ‘sorry’ when he burps, but another teenager his age is unable to speak. It may seem strange, but hey, a better way to navigate is ‘smile’ and be non-judgmental of each other.

Box

Google Autism Spectrum Disorder and it’s an ocean. Tons have been written about it. The simplest explanation is that it’s a difference in how your brain is wired, a neurological variation. You see and process things differently from people who are the norm – who people in the community call neurotypicals.

 

Name: Goldiboy and the Three Apes – An Isspeshal Fairy Tale

Author: Ashiish V Patil

Illustrated by: Nikita Modi Biswas

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’s Books

Pages: 120

Price: Rs 599

 (This book review was written for Amritabharati)

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