Author: Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2010
Length: 31 pages
Genre: Realistic fiction
Analysis:
My Brother Charlie is about twins, Callie and Charlie, and Charlie has autism. Callie narrates the story, explaining how her family is still filled with love even though Charlie’s brain works a little differently than hers does. She talks about hardships that they face because of autism, as well as the beauty that comes with it. She concludes by saying that even if Charlie doesn’t explicitly say “I love you,” he shows it in countless ways.
This book is very touching because the text describes this family with complete honesty, not sugarcoating autism, nor depicting it as something awful. By addressing both the beauty of it and the difficulties of it, the text allows the reader to really get a feel for what it is like to live with someone who has autism. On top of this, the text has an underlying message that no matter what, love is love and even if someone can’t express it in the traditional ways, it will be expressed through other means.
The illustrations of this book are also very powerful, because Charlie is illustrated as just a normal looking boy, which is good because it allows the reader to recognize that just because someone looks a certain way doesn’t mean that they are just like everyone else. Also, the illustrator is able to convey the emotions of the family very beautifully in the pictures. Whether it is love, worry, or annoyance, the illustrator brings these emotions to life. Another notable aspect of the illustrations is that the family is Black. This is great because they are just a normal family, filled with love, and could be any race! By having them be Black, the author allows readers to recognize that all families of any color could be experiencing the same kind of love.
This book provides a window for the reader to peek into the world of what it is like living with someone with autism. It demonstrates that even though it can be hard sometimes, the love that they feel for one another is still extremely strong and binds them together.