Author Description

A lone little boy with autism uses his gift of imagination to overcome his social fears. Discover how Andy takes that first step in finding his courage and confidence to introduce himself and meet new friends in Diana Jean La Fontaine's modern fable, A Giant Step for Andy. Instead of playing outside with other kids, Andy spends much of his time in his room after school drawing and learning about elephants with his faithful snuggly stuffed friend, Oliphant. Sometimes though, Andy wishes he had a pal to play with him and Oliphant. Saturdays are Andy's favorite day of the week. That's when he and his dad visit the elephants at the zoo. It is there that Tusker, the wise and compassionate African elephant, befriends Andy and teaches him that he CAN learn the social skills needed to meet people and make new friends. Diana Jean La Fontaine has worked as a paraprofessional in special education for many years, during which she discovered the benefits of teaching children social skills to encourage self-esteem and independence. Diana has taken her passion for learning through storybooks and created a delightful tale to allow the hero within to shine.