Noah's Big Problem - Anthony Antoniou - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Anthony Antoniou

ILLUSTRATOR: Baptiste Amsallem

GENRE: Children's Picture Book.

PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2025

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book about a little boy and his big, biiiig problem. Written by a teenager about his experience with his own autistic brother, so there is a beautiful thread of hope, love, and determination supporting this story. Helpful and insightful. Definitely recommended.

Plot Preview:

As the vacation is about to begin, little Noah is pondering over a big, biiiig problem: he wants to play with his younger brother Gabriel, but cannot. Gabriel is autistic and hence his brain functions differently. However, Noah is not one to give up. He tries a variety of fun activity options with Gabriel, but the result is never successful. Just when Noah thinks he might not be able to overcome his big, biiiig issue, he hits upon a big, biiiig solution.

The story is written in Noah’s third-person perspective.

This book was originally written in French under the title ‘Le gros problème de Noah’ in 2023. This English translation will be published in October 2025. The translation is impeccable.

I don’t think I have read any fictional picture book that explains autistic behaviour to children, though I am sure such books exist. What caught my eye in this case was that the book was written by a then-fourteen-year-old boy based on his experience with his autistic younger brother. As such, every page feels heartfelt and honest.

Noah is the star of the story. I was apprehensive that the book might show his getting frustrated or angry with his brother. But his struggles are written sensitively without any fake positivity. The problems as well as the positives of living with an autistic family member comes out beautifully through his thoughts.

Noah has plenty to teach little readers, whether they are dealing with a similar “biiiig problem” or not. The solution he hits upon is universally applicable: thinking not about what you want but about what the other person wants. His determination is also inspiring. I love how his thoughts always includes Gabriel’s positive qualities instead of only focussing on his inability to play what Noah wants. The subtle message is important to remember and understand: Gabriel is much more than his autism.

The book helps readers to understand how autism manifests itself without going into the technical details. Using the KISS principle to optimal effect, the story focusses on the behavioural tendencies of autism in general. A picture book obviously comes with certain format limitations; it cannot go into much details about how autistic behaviour has a spectrum or how individual people with autism can react differently to the same techniques. But within its restrictions, the book does a commendable job.

The story is written in a very accessible format, with about 2-4 sentences per page. The sentences are lengthy at times, but the language used is easy to understand. The book makes great use of the repetitive “big, biiiig” qualifier to indicate Noah’s inner thoughts.

The book ends with an adorable photo of the young author and his brother, followed by a sincere note explaining how and why he wrote this book. Don’t miss this section.

The sketches accompanying the story are cute. The illustrations seem to be coloured in a kind of smudged water colour with bold outlines. This was a bit distracting to me at the start as the outlines seem to stand apart from the painted hues, but they grew on me as the story went ahead.

Overall, I found this a lovely picture book addressing an important and relatable conundrum in an easy-to-understand manner. It will be very helpful not just to siblings of autistic children but to anyone dealing with children/adults on the spectrum.

Definitely recommended. It would be a great addition not just to homes with autistic children but also in schools and counselling centres. This book is officially aimed at readers aged 5-9 years.

My thanks to Chouette Publishing – Caillou for providing the DRC of “Noah's Big Problem” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Oh, and while I am on the topic, I might as well issue this PSA: Vaccines don’t cause autism, no matter what certain fools want you to believe. Stay safe, stay aware.