Note: I am an autistic/ADHD person with my husband and son also being autistic/ADHD.

I know I'm going to get flack for this review. I REALLY wanted to like this book. I really liked the first one, and felt is did a nice portrayal of an autistic boy and his relationship with his family, making a friend, and his comforting interest of animals. This book as well had the same themes, continued the story well, and was well written with gorgeous illustrations.

But what happened? Did this book not have sensitivity readers like the first one did?

I noticed little things wiggle in, like how Bat began to panic when he was missing tools to set up the playpen for his skunk, Thor. His self-soothing was making a noise and rolling on his feet, however, his mom rather wanted to hold him till he stoped. He even stated he DIDN'T want to be held. This was portrayed in the book as a good thing he stopped those behaviours and let his mum hold him. Please DO NOT do this to a person who is self-soothing! Bat was safe and keeping himself calm, and just because it was by making a noise and rolling on his feet, did not make it any less valid than the way an allistic (not autistic) person would self sooth. DO NOT RESTRAIN an autistic person! Your hugs may be well intended but they are restraining to us if we don't want them!!

The final straw that made me so upset was the final scene. Bat's apologising to his sister while looking at her toes - they are painted with beautiful stars on them - he doesn't look her in the eyes. But Bat's sister uses her finger to force Bat's head up and to make him look into her eyes. Bat states he DOSN'T like looking into peoples eyes, but he knew it made his sister feel happy so he did anyway for her sake. This is portrayed as some great moment, complete with an illustration of Bat's sister doing this, as if it's some great breakthrough and touching moment. No, it is not. This is full on, the absolute worse thing you could ever do to an autistic person.

Do not ever, EVER make us look into your eyes if we do not want to. You do not have any idea the amount of mental or physical torture this is, despite it being an easy thing for an allistic person. It may not seem that big of a deal for you, and that I am over-reacting, but it honestly is abuse. It reeks of ABA (a common 'treatment' for autistm that us autistic folk are against) and wanting the autistic person to cater to the allistic folk around them - when we spend EVERY SECOND of our lives doing that anyway. So for once, allistic folk, change your expectations and cater to us for once and let us look at your toes. This was not a great moment. This was horrible. It ruined and spoiled the whole book for me, and I will not be reading the sequel.