Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I was so thankful to receive this book as my son is autistic and loves Sesame Street! This is a perfect book to teach the preschool and kindergarten set about autism.Julia , a new character on Sesame Street, has autism and acts differently from her friends.There are many examples of her behaviors and how friends can adapt so they can all play together.Perfect book to teach young children that although we are all different we are all members of the human race and deserve respect.

I was so thankful to NetGalley for sending us an ARC of this wonderful book. I am a mom of a 4 year old who is on the Autism spectrum. We love Sesame Street and have for many decades, I have some grown children too. This book was so wonderfully written and the illustrations were simple and perfect. They created a life-like feel that helps my child feel like he is one of them. I love how the text is simple and keeps it all basic so that children my son's age and preschool can easily follow and understand. This book shows children (and adults) how we are all different and all the same in many ways. It shows us how even though Julia has autism she is just like the other children and has many of her own wonderful gifts and personality. It shows how we can help each other by being a friend and helping with her needs. I love how it shows the importance of inclusion, which is very important to my child and our family. I highly recommend this book and I will be buying it for our home and to share with some of our family and friends. Sometimes adults need the simple understanding as well as children do. As a preschool teacher for over 20 years I also highly recommend this book for any early childhood classroom as well as elementary school. Your family will enjoy this beautiful story. Have a wonderful adventure learning about Julia.

I was given an early copy to read and review. This is a topic that only Sesame Street can teach in such a loving way so that all children can understand and relate to someone who is autistic.Teaching it’s ok to be different. While some people like to celebrate with rejoicing and making loud noises. Others become anxious and scared by the loud noises. It’s up to us to be a friend and respect the differences. All of us are a little different in the ways we like to play and interact. Learning how to adapt to our differences so we all can be friends. I loved this book! I would recommend enthusiastically two arms up with jazz hands and two thumbs up! It is that good.
#NetGalley
#LernerPublication
#JenniferCook
PublicationDate: September 5, 2023

When Julia was introduced to Sesame Street in 2017, I was ecstatic. Finally, there was some representation of autism in children's shows. Yet, in the six years that followed, there have been few, if any, books about Julia. So, when I came across My Friend Julia by Jennifer Cook, I knew I had to read it. I especially love that Jennifer Cook is also autistic—nothing for us without us.

My Friend Julia introduces Julia as "funny, smart, and autistic." I love this word order because autism is only part of who she is, just like her red hair. It then goes through activities Julia enjoys with other muppets, like art with Elmo or building with Ernie. It also shows Julia's bunny Fluffster, her flapping, and her headphones. As an autistic adult, I still have my Mr. Bear and do the same things. I loved the representation. The entire book is positive and inclusive. It ends with suggestions on how to be a good friend. It's great for autistic kids and their friends and would be perfect for schools.

Recommended age: 4-6 years old

Writing style: The book goes back and forth between descriptions of Julia and quotes by other muppets saying how they are similar or different from that description.

Lexile range (unofficial): 410L - 600L
Decoding difficulty: 4/5
Vocabulary difficulty: 4/5
Sentences difficulty: 4/5
Patterns difficulty: 5/5

Illustration style: Solid color backgrounds with full-color photos of the muppets.

Reality-based: Julia is one example of an autistic person. It works well for young children and can lead to more conversations about autism.

Disclaimer: Thank you, NetGalley and Lerner Publications, for this title. All opinions are my own.

My friend Julia features the loveable Sesame Street monster, Elmo, with his friend Julia. Julia has autism. Elmo explains how Julie is a little different from most people and how she is alike. This is a simple introduction to understanding neurodivergent people for young learners. The information is minimal but enough for preschool children. The tone is friendly and calm. This may not be the only book on autism that a library needs, but it does fill a need.

Meet Julia! She's an artistically inclined child who adores her family. Dive into this heartwarming journey alongside Elmo, Abby, and the beloved Sesame Street gang as they unveil the unique aspects that make Julia truly special. Penned by best-selling author Jennifer Cook, who identifies as being on the spectrum, her rich experience enlightens the narrative. Cook has not only advised the @whitehouse but also appeared on @netflix ‘s ‘Love on the Spectrum' and serves on the Council of Autistic Advisors for the @autismsociety Autistic Society of America. Cannot think of a more qualified author to take on this subject.

Our main protagonist, Julia, is on the spectrum. The book is a visual delight and deftly encapsulates the frequently observed traits of a child on the spectrum, fostering an inclusive, supportive atmosphere around Julia. Its captivating and accessible approach makes it a must-read for our youngest of readers, and aims to entertain and inform. I'm truly honored to review this enlightening piece of work.

A great children’s book to teach children about Autism. Not everyone is the same and this book helps explain how everyone is different. The earlier we teach children about the differences in the world the sooner they are normalized.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. What a wonderful and delightful book about kids with autism! I think all parents should read this to their little ones so they have a better understanding of how children can be different but also the same.

First off, thank you Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group for granting me access to this book for an honest review.
As a teacher of students with autism, autism education is super important and helps the overall mindset and climate of a school campus. This book correctly teaches children what autism might look like in themselves or their classmates and proper ways to interact with people with autism. In easy to understand language, I would definitely use this book for a class project or just in general when educating children about autism.
Acceptance, love, equal communication, and advocacy. That is what education should be centered on.

This is the first Sesame Street book I have seen about being autistic. It goes through how the character is different and the same as other characters and how she thinks differently. I think this would be good for all youngsters. I enjoyed this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this title. This book is geared forward very young children (preschool through first grade, in my opinion). It gives a basic overview of autism and how it affects Julia. It also talks about being a good friend. Very cute book in the Sesame Street collection!

This was a great introduction to the topic of autism and is easy for kids to understand. I think this is a must-buy for public libraries. Sesame Street books will always check out so it's great to see one like this.

This book discusses Autism in a way that is accessible to young children. This can open up conversations to help children understand friends who may be different from them. Autistic children can see themselves in Julia, and allistic children can see themselves in the other characters like Elmo and Abby. Any child can see an example of their needs and other's needs, how they may be the same and how they may be different. Obviously this is a very simple book intended for children and actual people and situations can be more complex than this. Not every Autistic child is exactly like Julia, but I appreciate this representation being present for my children. I did not have books like this in my childhood.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is very near and dear to my heart. As a parent who has a child with autism, I felt that this book did a really good job in explaining how people with autism are just like everyone else, but just have different needs. If you have a child who is autistic, this is a great book to show that there are other children out there just like them or if you are a parent who has a child and you want to introduce what autism is to them this is a great book for that as well.

My son is muppet-obsessed, truly. We were able to meet Julia during our time at SeaWorld this past spring break, and he absolutely loved her.

That being said, this book led to good conversations with my young kids. Conversations about inclusion, patience, and celebrating differences.

This was a cute story and the vivid photos were beautiful!

This is a great book to introduce neurodivergence to children! I read it to my two year old daughter and she really enjoyed it. She seemed to understand about the hugs and she practiced taking deep breaths! It was a little long for her age because she started to lose interest before it was over, but I think it’s a great one to revisit often! Especially before starting preschool

The author Jennifer Cook does a amazing job talking and explaining Autistic and living with it. Told through a new Sesame Street character named Julia we learn how Julia handles things that may bother her. I think this book would make a great read out loud story to explain to children what Autistic is and how it can have a unique way of understanding the world and other people. Autism can make it hard to figure out friends and feelings. It can also make someone caring and clever. I highly recommend this book as a read out loud or for story time . Thank You netgalley

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of "My Friend Julia". All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I don't think there is enough space to tell you how much I enjoyed and loved this book. Immediately I fell in love when instead of saying that Julia has autism, her other amazing traits were listed first. Autism does not define a child and I love that this book started with that. The way autism is explained in this book is absolutely amazing. As a teacher, I cannot tell you how wonderful this story is. All of the pictures were easy for children to understand what was happening in a way that makes sense to them. The discussion of when she is over-stimulated and how she may do things differently but it does not make her a bad friend. The tips are at the end. I mean, I could rant for days. Bravo! Love, love, love, love!!

I find it challenging to talk to my four year old about learning differences with kids in his class. I'm not sure how much detail to go into or how to describe what it might feel like to be them. I absolutely loved that My Friend Julia was asset based -- it talked about all of the great things about Julia and what she likes. It also thoughtfully and clearly talked about how she might handle situations where she's overwhelmed and talked about what autism is. I definitely recommend this for anyone who works with or has children.