I checked out Bitsy Bat: School Star and its sequel, Bitsy Bat: Team Star, because of the adorable bat on their covers. Bitsy turned out to be a cute story about neurodiversity.
You see, Bitsy is a bat. Bats are nocturnal creatures with very sensitive hearing. So when Bitsy's parents send her to school with a bunch of diurnal animals with average hearing (who also sit in chairs instead of hanging upside down from the ceiling), everything is way too bright, too loud, and dizzying. Plus the other kids don't eat bugs. Bitsy is overwhelmed and has a meltdown on her first day of school.
Bitsy's problems are solved with a few simple accommodations: sunglasses and noise-cancelling headphones to help with the sensory overload, and a special chair she can hang from. Bitsy's classmates realize that she might do things differently than they do, like flying instead of running or using her feet to draw with, but she still does things just as well as anyone else. (I'll discuss the plot of the sequel below).
The book does not answer questions like, "Why didn't Bitsy's parents send her to a school for bats?" Bats typically live in colonies of thousands to millions of individuals, so it would make more sense to send the thousands of bat-children to bat-schools where they wouldn't need any accommodations at all. Nor does it address, "Why don't Bitsy's parents prepare her ahead of time for the classroom, since they are also bats and would have had the exact same problems when they went to school?"
The answer to both questions is, of course, that the book is meant as a metaphor for the autistic experience, not as an exploration of bat-life, and metaphors tend to break down if you think about them for too long. Real autistic children don't live in colonies of thousands fellow-autists, and their parents generally aren't autistic, or at least have fewer sensitivities.
Bitsy Bat explores sensory sensitivities from the social construction view: that whether something is a disability or not depends on how societies and cultures chose to do things. For example, in a society where everyone uses sign language, being deaf would not be an impediment. Bitsy is not disabled in bat society; her parents don't give her eyesight and hearing a moment's thought before sending her off to school. It's only when she is thrust into a built environment specifically created for diurnal creatures with less sensitive hearing that Bitsy has any difficulties (just as you and I would have trouble trying to navigate in pitch blackness, but Bitsy wouldn't).
This is a fine starting place for children, for whom understanding and compassion are the first priority. Little kids don't need to be told, "There's something wrong with you!" Just put on the headphones and enjoy life.
Now, if you are trying to explain any autistic behaviors besides ones related to sensory sensitivities, this is not the book for you. Bitsy has none of the other behaviors characteristic of autistic children, like difficulties with speaking or understanding language, emotional rigidity, developmental delays, stimming, etc. Nor does she have any of the physical problems that often accompany autism, like epilepsy (an estimated 10 - 30% of autistic people also have epilepsy), gastrointestinal issues, or motor/movement disorders (in fact, Bitsy is very physically talented). My autistic child is basically an inverse Bitsy--everything but the sensory sensitivities. As far as I can tell. But Bitsy does a good job representing the variety of autism she is intended to represent; if too many things have been lumped under a singele diagnostic umbrella, that is hardly Ms. Windness's fault.
Bitsy Bat: Team Star introduces another autistic student to Bitsy's elementary school, Enzo the Owl. Like bats, owls are nocturnal, with sensitive sight and hearing. Unlike Bitsy, Enzo is non-verbal, and uses a speaking tablet to communicate. I have no first-hand experience with non-verbal autism (I am familiar with communication devices--my father uses one, so I know they are a true lifeline for people who cannot speak), but I find the idea that some non-verbal people can learn to type and communicate in writing quite fascinating.
Team Star has a lot of the same cuteness as School Star, and if you have a child who communicates via a speaking device, they'll probably enjoy it. Unfortunately, the book commits one grievous sin: Bitsy stops in the middle of her race with Enzo to go help another student. The book's entire plot revolves around Bitsy being upset that there is another fast-flying animal in her classroom, and then she throws the race so we can be treated to some pablum about "teamwork" being more important than winning.
Look. This is a two-critter leg of the race. That means that all of Bitsy's other classmates and her teacher (and realistically, an aid) are available to rescue the hedgehog. There's no need for Bitsy to drop out of the race here.
I have read a LOT of stories with this exact plot: the child really wants to win a race, but then discovers that being a good person is more important than victory. I hate this plot for several reasons:
1. It's massively overdone. Can a child please just be allowed to be good at going fast without a lecture from the adults?
2. Misses the entire point of having a race.
3. Being a good sport and remembering that winning isn't everything is about not cheating, not giving up.
It's good for kids to want things, to have goals, and to work hard to achieve them! I think athletes who train for the Olympics or just because they love their sport are doing something admirable. People should strive for excellence in whatever they do, whether that's art or academics or racing or being a friend, and I don't know why so many authors think this is bad.
Um.
Aside from that quibble, it really is a sweet book, and Toddler Reviewer enjoyed it. He says the bat is cute and he likes how she hangs upside down. Enzo (and Bitsy) are really unique characters; while there are a few other autistic kids in children's media (like Sesame Street's Julia,) I have yet to run across any others like this bat and owl duo.
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