Loving Pieces Books
Navigating Autism Together Through Social Emotional Learning
New Children's Book
Two autistic boys.
One trip to London.
Everything your family needs to try one of your own.
One trip to London.
Everything your family needs to try one of your own.
Adrián and Guillermo flew to London, rode the Underground, ate fish and chips at a thousand-year-old market, and went home with a suitcase full of memories. This is the story of how they did it. And how your family can too.
A children’s book for families who want to see the world their own way.
What families are saying
Real Reactions From Early Readers
“We finally took our first family trip abroad. I wish we had this book before every trip we tried before. The preparation changed everything.”
Sarah T. · Autism mom · Texas · ARC reader
“The social stories section alone was worth it. Our son read the airport one every night for a week before we flew. He walked through security calm as anything.”
Melissa R. · Autism mom · Ohio · ARC reader
“This book made travel feel possible again for our family. We had given up. Now we are planning our next trip.”
Priya M. · Autism mom · California · ARC reader
A note from our family
We know what it feels like to want to give your child the world and not be sure the world can hold them.
We felt that for a long time before we tried. And then we stood at the departure gate with our two autistic boys and chose adventure over fear.
This book is everything we learned from that choice. We are sharing it because your family deserves the same chance to find out what is waiting for you on the other side of the gate.
We hear you
Does This Sound Like You?
If any of these thoughts are living in your head right now, you are exactly who we wrote this book for.
The someday parent
You have watched other families post holiday photos and thought maybe someday. Maybe when things are easier. Maybe when your child is more ready.
You tried once
You tried once and it went badly. The meltdown at the gate. The hotel room that felt wrong. The day that fell apart by 10am. You have not tried again since. And every time someone mentions travel, your stomach tightens.
You do not know how to prepare
You have social stories for meltdowns and school. But you have never seen one for a plane. You worry that when the gate agent calls your row, your child will not know what happens next. And neither will you.
You are not the only one. You have never been the only one. This book was written by a family that felt exactly what you are feeling. And chose to go anyway.
Imagine the possibility
What Changes When You Travel Prepared
Before This Book
- Dreading the airport and hoping for the best
- Not knowing how to explain the trip to your child before it happens
- No plan for when things go wrong mid-trip
- Your child arrives somewhere new with no context or preparation
- Travel feels simply not possible for your family
After This Book
- Your child has read about the airport, the flight, and the hotel before they arrive
- You have a visual day plan, a flight kit, and a backup plan ready
- Your child wears their Sunflower badge and boards first
- When things go sideways, you know exactly what to do
- Your family comes home with memories and a plan for the next trip
Is this right for you
This Book Was Made For Your Family If...
This IS for you
- Your family wants to travel but feels scared to try
- You tried before and it went badly and you want to try again with a real plan
- Your child needs to know every step before it happens
- You are a parent who wants to read a travel story with your child before the trip to reduce anxiety
- You are a therapist working on social stories and transition preparation
- You are a grandparent planning a trip with your autistic grandchild
This is NOT for you if...
- You are looking for a generic travel guide without autism in mind
- Your child has no sensory or transition challenges when traveling
- You want a book specifically about London and not about travel in general
- You are looking for a clinical therapy or intervention resource
Introducing
Autism: Our Travel Adventure
A children’s book for autistic families who want to see the world their own way. Adrián and Guillermo travel to London with their parents. They prepare. They pack their social stories. They wear their Sunflower badges. And they have the trip of their lives. This is both the story and the guide.
Inside the Book
Six Chapters. Six Moments Your Child Will Recognize.
Every chapter comes from something real that happened on our family’s trip to London. Here is what your child will feel reading each one.
Getting Ready for the Adventure
At the Airport with Sunflower Badges
Riding the London Underground
London Adventures and Museums
Chapter 1
Getting Ready for a New Adventure
Your child sees that wanting to know everything in advance is not a problem to manage. It is the smartest thing a traveler can do.
Two weeks before the trip, Adrián and Guillermo learn about London. They make lists, look at photos, and build their social stories together. Preparation is not the obstacle. It is the plan.
Chapter 2
At the Airport
Your child learns that asking for what you need is not weakness. It is exactly how confident travelers travel.
The boys wear their Sunflower badges, use the assistance lane, and board first. When the gate agent calls families who need extra time, it feels like the whole trip shifting in their favor.
Chapter 3
Flying Across the Ocean
Your child learns that hard moments pass. The little plane on the screen keeps moving even when your ears pop and the turbulence comes.
Adrián holds Dad’s hand during takeoff. He watches the flight map. He checks it again. And slowly the line from home to London gets shorter.
Chapter 4
Hello, London!
Your child sees that arriving somewhere completely new can feel interesting instead of just overwhelming.
Black taxis, red buses, cars on the other side of the road. Adrián is tired and curious at the same time. The hotel room is quiet, with dimmers and thick curtains. That first night, everyone sleeps.
Chapter 5
Moving Through the City
Your child sees a whole city explored in a way that actually works for their brain, with a plan, with rest breaks built in, and with room to be exactly who they are.
The Underground, the double decker bus, Borough Market, a water taxi on the Thames. The family uses their visual day plan and nobody has to wonder what comes next.
Chapter 6
The Way Home
Your child finishes the book knowing something important about themselves: they can do hard things when they go in prepared.
The night before they leave, Adrián finds his airport social story. He reads it. Everything happened just like it said. He did it. And now he knows what that feels like.
For Parents and Educators
The Part Where You Stop Winging It and Actually Have a Plan.
This is not just a book to read at bedtime. It is something you use before, during, and after any trip your family takes. The Tips for Parents section at the back gives you practical strategies organized by moment, from the first conversation about the trip all the way to the car ride home.
- Bonus Chapter: Complete Tips for Parents section covering every stage of travel from announcement to homecoming
- Introduces the Sunflower Lanyard program and how to use it at airports and attractions worldwide
- Teaches visual day plans, social stories, flight kits, and rest break strategies your family can use on any trip
- Covers sensory preparation for airports, planes, hotels, and busy attractions
- Addresses what to do when things go wrong including meltdowns, plan changes, and overwhelm in the moment
- Works for any trip: a weekend road trip, a flight, a visit to relatives, or an international adventure
"We stood at the departure gate and wondered if we made the right call. We have been there. But we have also watched our boys press their faces against an airplane window and see the world from above for the first time." Dalisse and Luis
Free Bonus included with every purchase
The Autism-Friendly Travel Kit
When you buy this book you get our complete Travel Kit as a free digital download. Everything in it has been tested by our family on real trips. Download instructions are inside the book.
Personalized Sunflower Lanyard ID Badge
A printable badge you can personalize for your child before any trip. Free to download, ready to use at airports, attractions, and anywhere the Sunflower program is recognized worldwide.
Autism-Friendly Destination Guide
How to choose destinations that actually work with your child’s sensory needs, not against them, before you book anything.
Sensory Packing Checklist
Practical sensory tools and safety items to pack so your child has what they need wherever the trip takes you.
Airport and Hotel Tips Guide
Everything you need to know to make travel smoother from the moment you arrive at the airport to the moment you check out of the hotel.
Strategies for Hard Moments
What to do when things get difficult in uncontrolled spaces like airplanes, ships, and crowded attractions. Real strategies, not generic advice.
Visiting Family Guide
Tips for trips to family members who may not fully understand autism yet, including how to prepare them and how to protect your child’s needs without making it a big conversation.
Meet the Authors
Written by a Family Who Has Actually Been There
We are Dalisse and Luis, and we wrote this book the same way we wrote every book in this series. From the inside.
We stood at the departure gate with our two autistic boys and wondered if we were making the right call. We have felt that specific mixture of love and fear that autism parents know when you decide to take your child somewhere completely new.
And we have also watched our boys press their faces against an airplane window and see the world from above for the first time. Those moments do not happen by accident. They happen because you prepared. Because you chose adventure over fear. And because your child had a story that showed them someone just like them had already done it.
That is what this book is.
More Books for Your Child's Journey
You have questions
We Have Answers
This book is designed for parents to read together with their children. The right age depends on your child’s support needs and reading level. As a guide, most families find it works best between ages 6 and 16. Some children will enjoy reading it independently. Others will get the most from it as a shared experience with a parent, carer, or therapist. There is no single right way to use it. You know your child best.
Not at all. The story is set in London but every strategy in the book works for any trip. A weekend road trip, a domestic flight, a visit to relatives, or an international adventure. The tools are universal.
Yes. That is exactly who it is for. Adrián and Guillermo had not done a big trip before London either. The book shows the whole preparation process from the very first conversation about the trip.
Absolutely. The social story format, the visual day plan, and the discussion of the Sunflower Lanyard program make this a strong tool for therapists working on transition preparation and teachers building inclusive classroom libraries.
Yes. The book helps neurotypical children understand what their autistic sibling or classmate might experience when traveling and how small accommodations make a big difference for everyone.
Paperback and ebook, available on Amazon worldwide in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese.
The kit includes a personalized Sunflower Lanyard ID badge, autism-friendly destination guide, sensory packing checklist, airport and hotel tips guide, strategies for hard moments, visiting family guide, and a printable travel checklist. Download instructions are inside the book.
The complete series
More Books for Your Child's Journey
Every book in the series is written from inside an autistic family. Real moments. Real strategies. Real language your child recognizes.
Your Family Can Do This
The Trip Starts With This Book.
Travel does not have to be perfect to be meaningful. A child who has read this story before their trip already knows what an airport social story feels like. They already know the Sunflower badge exists. They already know the little plane on the screen keeps moving even when the flight feels long.
They know because Adrián showed them. Now it is your turn.
Paperback & Ebook · Available Worldwide on Amazon
English · Spanish · Catalan · Portuguese
Free Travel Kit included with every purchase