The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin - A Children's Book Review

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin was written by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley, and initially published on August 29, 2017 by The Innovation Press. A later version of the book was published on March 5, 2019.

This book is a rhythmic and playful overview of Dr. Temple Gradin’s life. It showcases her life from birth until becoming a successful scientist and speaker, highlighting the uniqueness of her Autism, supportive family life, resilience, and intelligence.

In The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin began her life as a sensitive and hot headed child that was unable to speak until age three. After unnamed therapies with specialists she was able to develop verbal language. Following this Temple entered school where she was unfortunately bullied. She was eventually kicked out for her retaliation against the bullies.

Following Temple’s expulsion she began working on her aunt’s farm where she fell in love with the animals. Soon enough she was a revolutionary inventor that changed the farming industry, a world-renowned speaker, an award winner, and a college graduate.

The book uses rhyming to give it a childlike affect, but despite the book being centered towards children, I have found it to be an inspiring and beautiful tale on resilience for all ages. This young child who suffered so severely from bullying and struggled with outbursts became a revolutionary scientist, showing grit and a passion for changing the world.

Overall, I was impressed by the rhyming pattern, the ability to adapt the book in a developmentally appropriate way, and the plot line. I enjoyed how they made Temple a strong character, and I especially loved the highlight of being, “different, not less.”