Lindsey Cripe - 2nd Picture Book Review

Chaconas, Dori. Dancing With Katya. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2006. Print.

Anna is a girl with a younger sister named Katya who became sick with polio.  Since the polio weakened her muscles, she was unable to do her favorite thing with her sister which was to dance. After being taken away for over a month, Katya returned with braces on her legs which allowed her to slightly walk. She and Anna then realized that although she may not walk and dance perfectly, every day will get easier and easier. After reading this book, it was not what I thought it was going to be. Since the theme of my book review is on disabilities, I thought that this story was going to be about a little girl who was born with a disability. However, Katya experienced her disability at a later time. I felt that this book can show children that a life altering event can happen any moment of any do, such as Katya getting sick. However even though it can change things, it does not mean it has to be that way forever. It is always hard getting use to something at first (whether it’s something with you or a loved one) but with constant love, support, and patience, anything is possible.

Lang, Glenna. Looking Out for Sarah. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, 2001. Print.

This is a story based on true events of a dog named Perry who helps guide his owner Sarah who is blind. The book explains how Perry takes directions from Sarah and helps her find her way all over town (they even walked from Boston to New York!). I feel that reading this story to children will allow them to see that no matter what happens in life whether you have an accident or a disability, that you will always have options for mobility. Sarah may not be able to see, but how amazing is it that a dog can be trained to be her eyes for her? I feel that this book would be great for children because it incorporates an animal, but also because they could very well see this in everyday life.

Lewis, Beverly. In Jesse's Shoes. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2007. Print.

This is an amazing story about a girl named Allie who has an older brother, Jesse, with a disability.  While she doesn’t get why she has to help her brother since she is the youngest and why other kids laugh at him, she notices how he gets easily intrigued and distracted by everything. Allie’s parents always told her that God made her brother special and she never really understood until she started looking at things from Jesse’s point of view. I really enjoyed this book because it gave great detail about what some kids go through when dealing with a disability. On Jesse’s side, it explained how he interprets his surroundings while his sister Allie always feels laughed at. I feel that this story will allow children to actually take a walk in Jesse’s shoes. It will give them reassurance that everyone, including themselves, are different and that there is nothing wrong with that.  I believe that it is important for children to know this because in school they will most likely see and have to interact with children who have disabilities and they should understand that they are in many ways just like they are.

Petrillo, Genevieve. Keep Your Ear on the Ball. Gardiner: Tilbury House Publishers, 2009. Print.

Davey was a new kid in school who happened to be blind. His new friends tried to do anything and everything to help Davey out, especially when it came to kick ball. Although Davey did well getting around on his own, he made his team lose in kick ball. However, his friends had a plan to help him use more of his hearing to guide him which helped him be more successful in the game. This book some what reminded me of Looking Out for Sarah because it does deal with both of the main characters being blind, is written in brail, but also discusses how they maneuver around their environment. I really enjoyed how the book shared that even if someone has a disability, they can still be independent and do things for themselves. I also liked how it showed the character using his other senses of touch and hearing to show that all of your senses are helpful and important. This would be great to read to children to show how everyone can work together into making anything possible.

Robb, Diane Burton. The Alphabet War: A Story About Dyslexia. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Company, 2004. Print.

Adam is a little boy who goes through school struggling to read because he has dyslexia. He later realizes that although he might not be able to read or write well, there are still so many things that he excels at. This would be a great book to read to children because it shows them that not everyone has the same talents. While one student may be an all-star athlete but can only draw stick figures, another student could be a fantastic artist who can’t shoot a free throw. I really enjoyed this book and feel like if someone wanted to use it in a class activity, you can go around and have each student share what his or her strengths are and even possibly demonstrate them to the rest of the class.