Through Leo, Isabelle Marinov provides the reader with many facts about octopuses, and we learn about them as he does. The story itself never uses the word autism - only that Leo has difficulties with 'living on the wrong planet' and feeling like an 'alien', that he doesn't know much about friendship, is shown to have sensory sensitivities, becomes heavily interested in information about his new octopus friends and then infodumps on the new child who joins the story later. One day Leo meets Maya, the octopus, and the more he learns about her the more Leo starts to believe that isn’t alone in this world anymore. This picture book has sensitive descriptions throughout the whole book to reference Autism to help raise awareness of what life is like living with autism. What I also loved is how Leo doesn’t just stop with Maya, the octopus, but he also is able to share this interest in octopuses with another child.

Leo and the Octopus | Literacy Tree Leo and the Octopus | Literacy Tree

The octopus keeper is not judgmental, he is observant and curious, recognizing those same traits in Leo.They will explore and discuss how everyone is different and how it is important to be considerate and respectful to how individuals feel.

Leo and the Octopus - Farmyard Books | Brand Partner with Leo and the Octopus - Farmyard Books | Brand Partner with

When Leo meets Maya, she turns white and smooth, demonstrating that she is calm and comfortable in Leo’s presence. A masterfully told story with many layers added by the thoughtful illustrations about a boy named Leo who is neurodiverse (later revealed in a note by the author to be on the autistic spectrum).After all, animals, especially misunderstood ones, just want someone to reach out and show some compassion.

Leo and the Octopus by Isabelle Marinov | Goodreads

A child feeling out of place and finding friendship with an animal is so realistic that I couldn’t help but fall in love with Leo. I am a teacher of special needs and have sisters who also have special needs, so when the opportunity to review a children’s book based on a boy with autism, I jumped at the chance! This book beautifully highlights, explores and explains how our world can feel like an alien planet to some children.It can allow children to understand others with ASD and give children with ASD something to relate to. Sometimes he wished he could squirt water at all the things that annoyed him to make them disappear. Maya is an octopus, and the more Leo learns about her, the more he thinks that perhaps he isn’t alone in this world, after all.

Octopus Fact File - Twinkl - Educational Resources KS1 Octopus Fact File - Twinkl - Educational Resources

Another great aspect of this story is the idea that even a huge, seemingly scary animal has feelings. Through his relationship with Maya, Leo begins to look at the world through someone else’s eyes and to understand their difficulties, which enables him to make his first human friend. Lastly, the choice of making some words in bold shows emphasis on certain key phrases or vocabulary. The word autism only appears in the author/illustrator page and the blurb, and never as Leo being autistic, but 'having autism' and a 'child with autism'.The story also encourages children to be curious and reflect on their relationship with the natural world. I first chose the book because of its beautiful cover, and was pleasantly surprised with the story's message of inclusivity. Leo and the Octopus is a beautiful story about finding comfort in others, even when differences divide you from others. They will celebrate the uniqueness of individuals, discuss the importance of inclusion and indirectly explore some of the considerations around autism. It doesn’t work - so for the next time Leo puts up a sign to prevent people from taking flash photos.