Reviewed by Susan van der Walt for Readers' Favorite

Rachelle Gage grew up with an autistic brother. Her experiences with him inspired her to write Jacob's Extraordinary Day. Jacob communicates through a picture book specially created for him. One day all the children helped to prepare for the Spring Jam the following day. They made the decorations, practiced a new song, and baked special cookies. It was an extraordinary day for Jacob because he participated in all these activities using his super senses. The Spring Jam was a tremendous success because all the children worked together and because of Jacob's surprising and unique contributions.

Often we feel uncomfortable and unsure of how to treat people who are different. In this entertaining picture book, Rachelle Gage teaches little ones about autism in a simple manner. I love the way she shows how Jacob contributed to all the activities, even though he communicates unconventionally. Jacob's teacher portrays the appropriate way to interact with autistic children, even though their needs may change the group plans for various activities. We gain insight into the way autistic children explore the world through their senses, but also how challenging it can be for them to deal with social situations. Parents will find it easy to introduce unfamiliar words to their children because they are formatted in bold to stand out from the text. The book offers a great way to start a conversation with kids about special needs children. Jacob's Extraordinary Day is an excellent book to read aloud to younger children or for older children to read by themselves.