Wolf Thinks of Others - A book about empathy (Behaviour Matters)

Rarely does a children's book make me angry, but this one did. It could equally be titled: Wolf has ASD traits but is bullied by neurotypicals until he learns to mask his authentic self in order to fit in.The analysis that Wolf isn't empathetic is flawed, he clearly cares about fitting in because he makes adjustments. He just isn't naturally attuned to others, preferring to spend time in his own world. The other characters in the book make all sorts of assumptions about wolf being selfish, and by their standards, he is, but wolf probably is just happy in his own world and if the other children were direct with him rather than making a raft of assumptions about his motivations, wolf would be able to much better express his authentic self.When neurodivergent children read this book, they are receiving the lesson that they are not acceptable and they need to mask more to be accepted. That is not OK, for their own wellbeing they need to connect with their authentic selves. For a book that claims to teach empathy, it is remarkably one-sided.