A Love for Basketball and Frienship

A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner

                This chapter book is about two best friends, Rip and Red, and their year in fifth grade. The book opens on their first day of school. Rip and Red soon learn that this year is going to be very different than they expected due to district budget cuts. Red, who is a secondary character with autism, does not like this unknown change in events. The boy’s fifth grade teacher, Mr. Acevedo, likes to do everything different and unexpected, something that proves to be a challenge for Red. The two share a love for basketball, and together go out for the fifth grade team…only to find more unexpected change. The team structure has changed to include a co-ed team who plays other teams from around the country. Because of Red’s autism, his mother does not want him to play in games because he does not like unwanted touch. However Mr. Acevedo agrees to allow him to practice with the team and not play games. As team struggles without Red’s shooting skills, will Red get the chance to play in his first game? Read this book to find out!

                The portrayal of Red’s autism in this book was not quite what I expected. The story is told from Rip’s perspective, who is an amazing friend to Red. However, because of this, I didn’t feel like Red got the chance to fully develop as a character. I thought it would have been beneficial to see inside the mind of Red, instead of only hearing about his nervous habits, excessive precision, and need for consistency. Because of this, I felt like Red stayed the character with autism, and even faded as the story progressed and became more centralized around just Rip. At the same time, autism is portrayed accurately in Red’s actions, but the reader just never gets the chance to see things from his perspective.

                I would recommend this book to an audience around the same age as Rip and Red. This book is actually the first in a series of three books about the two best friends and their adventures. Readers who love sports and friendship are sure to enjoy this read. For more information about autism, check out www.autismspeaks.org

Ducks teaching disability?

Lemon the Duck by Laura Backman

Lemon the duck in real life!

                Lemon the Duck is a children’s picture book  based on a real-life story of Lemon. This book takes a new angle toward disability education from some of the other books I have evaluated. The book opens in a children’s classroom, where the duck hatchery is beginning to hatch baby ducks. However, the students soon notice one duckling was different than the others. Lemon, the special duck was named for her fluffy yellow feathers. The children ask their teacher why Lemon does not stand the way the other ducks. As the other ducks began to grow, Lemon still could not stand or walk. Lemon has a problem with her balance, and as a result she will always need special attention. When the other ducklings go to live on a farm, Lemon stays with the students. The children pay close attention to Lemon, by feeding her, and helping her to swim. Still wanting to help Lemon walk, the students try to come up with ways they can help her. Eventually, one student named Richard finds a way to help Lemon stand. The students use a life vest to hold Lemon up so she can stand. Soon, Lemon is able to do everything just like all the other ducks, just with a little extra help.

                Disability is portrayed very differently in this book. Instead of seeing a main character who is human, we see a duck who is a class pet with the disability. This new way helps students see disability in a new way. The student’s desire to help Lemon and to care for her is inspiring. The students learn Lemon can be just like any other duck. The lesson of this story is important because disability is being introduced in a very neutral and loving way. Instead of pinning a disability to a person, it is connected to an animal. I believe this can help children to understand disabilities because the care shown for Lemon is applicable to humans. This book is a great read-aloud text. The illustrations are adorable and engaging. The positive ending will leave young readers and listeners smiling. Check out this article about real life Lemon!

Just like everyone else: Down syndrome

We’ll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen

                This picture book is about a 6 year old girl who is about to get a new baby brother or sister. At first, she is not too keen on getting a new sibling. She is speaking to her father, asking if she can do different things with the baby. Some of these things are, feeding cows, kicking soccer balls, painting an octopus, visiting their Aunt Wendy, and even going on an African safari. However, when the baby comes, she learns it is a baby boy names Isaac. Isaac, as her dad says, has Down syndrome. The young girl is positive this disability will prevent her from doing all the fun things she wanted to do with her new brother. However, as she goes through and asks her dad if Isaac can still do everything, she ends up asking "If Isaac has this Down thing, then what can't he do?” To her surprise and excitement, her father tells him there is nothing Isaac cannot do, he may simply need help, patience, and a little more time.

                This book is a great tool for helping parents talk to their children about Down syndrome. Likewise, it can also help young readers learn that children with Down syndrome are in fact no different than anyone else. However, this book does not educate readers on any other aspects of Down syndrome, outside of the fact that they can do everything the same as anyone else. While this book is a picture book and very brief, I would have liked to see the young girl ask more questions about her baby brother’s disability. Outside of that, I believe this book did a great job of breaking the barriers of normalcy when it comes to Down syndrome.

                I would recommend this book for young readers, as the reading level is a little higher than what one may expect from a picture book. I believe this book has educational merit, and would be a great addition to an at-home or classroom library. Check out this blog written by Jennie and Mark who have a son with Down syndrome. In this post, Jennie tells her experience reading this book aloud to her son's kindergarten class, and a fun activity they did afterwards! 

Cerebral Palsy Awareness

Emily Included by Kathleen McDonnell

Emily Included is an inspiring true story written about Emily Eaton and her family’s legal battle to include her in the normal public school system. Emily has cerebral palsy, and her parents want her to attend the public school to have the ability to have the same education and make friends with other children her age. However, the school board ends up ruling that Emily is not learning at the rate of everyone else. As a result, the Eaton family goes all the way to the Ontario Supreme Court, fighting for the educational rights of all children with disabilities. The outcome? Well, you’ll just have to read the book!

This book is a short but motivating read, the kind you could read aloud to any child in just a few sittings. Perhaps the most enchanting part of this book is the way Emily’s disability is portrayed. The book goes into great detail to describe events in Emily’s life that help to shape her, and the lesson of the story goes far beyond the court trials. The reader learns what Emily experiences through her cerebral palsy, what she sees, hears, and why she does the things she does. Much of the book takes place in a classroom setting, and shows the wonderful ways other students help Emily by reading aloud to her, or pushing her wheelchair during recess. There are scenes, for example at Emily’s birthday party, where other children must work together to help her by using sign language, or even asking questions about why she does things like scream. Learning about Emily through a classroom setting helps the reader understand the disability, and see that she truly is just like any other child.

The plot follows Emily from kindergarten all the way through fifth grade, making the story applicable to a wide range of audiences. This being a true story, I believe the inspirational aspect for other children with cerebral palsy is limitless. With the inability to put words to thought, those with cerebral palsy sometimes struggle with communication with those who do not understand them. Reading this book gives clarity to uneducated readers, and a voice to those who may not have one. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether it is for educational, inspirational, or just leisure purposes. 

Childhood cancer and the Family Negotiation

Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin

                Counting Thyme is an amazing book about an 11 year old girl named Thyme, and her family dynamic having a 5 year old brother named Val who has Neuroblastoma, a nerve cancer. The novel begins as Thyme and her family move to New York from San Diego so her brother could participate in a drug trial for his illness. Thyme deals with starting 6^th grade over in a brand new school, and changes in her family dynamic as she does not get the attention from her parents she once did before Val became ill. Thyme is embarrassed to let kids at school know about her brother, because she knows they will treat her differently with pity, as the “boy with cancer’s sister”.

                The perspective of this book being that of Thyme’s gives an incredible view of living with a sibling who is ill. The negotiations and sacrifices Thyme and her family must make for Val show the ways in which a loving family dynamic may not always seem so loving. This book is beautifully written, making it accessible to readers of all ages. The way Val’s cancer is portrayed is through careful, kind, and patient eyes, as Thyme is the one describing him during his fragile state. Thyme must negotiate between wanting attention from her parents, missing San Diego, but constantly worrying about Val. Val’s cancer certainly does not define the bright, smiling little boy he is. He is more than his cancer, as Thyme comes to learn she is much more than the “boy with cancer’s sister”. The portrayal of the characters and their relationship to Val is incredible. The dynamic of his family truly shows the way everyone copes differently, and the need for patience with loved ones during though times. Despite the nature of the book, the ending is a happy one, and leaves the reader with a smile. I believe this novel is incredibly effective, and a joy to read. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who may have a family member with an illness such as cancer. For a list of more books about childhood cancer, click here.

A Mother's Disability and her Daughter's Love

So. B. It by Sarah Weeks

                I will start this review by saying this book is incredible, and a real tear-jerker, but as this blog does not post spoilers, I won’t tell you why. 12 year old main character Heidi lives with her mother, who has is mentally disabled. Because of her mother’s disability, Heidi knows very little about her mother’s past. What she does know however, is that their neighbor Bernadette looks after Heidi and her mother. Heidi’s mother has a limited vocabulary, calling herself So. B. It, hence the title of the book. In order to find more about her mother, Heidi embarks on a journey to discover her mother’s past, against the will of Bernadette. While on her journey Heidi learns what she set out for, but more importantly learns about herself.

                I have included this novel because while the child does not possess a disability, I still believe her mother’s disability plays a large role in her upbringing and the character she becomes at the end of the story. I think often times it may be easy to forget that parents may have disabilities too, and this novel is the perfect example of taking yet another angle when looking at disabilities in children’s literature. I believe this book does a wonderful job of portraying the mother as someone who is full of compassion and love, who has a personality and a history beyond her disability. As Heidi uncovers her mother’s history she learns much about herself. She learns to appreciate what she doesn’t know, and accept what she cannot change. The growth Heidi experiences throughout the novel would not have been the same had her worldview not been shaped by her mother having a disability. I believe this book is appropriate for readers of all ages, and easy to relate to for every reader as well. Viewing disability through the eyes of a loved one of the person who is disabled gives an enlightening perspective to the novel. This book will make any reader appreciative of what they have, and thankful for their family and loved ones.

Talking Slow and Loud makes it Worse: Deafness in Children's Literature

El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo is a graphic novel written by Cece Bell. This adorable comic tells the story of Cece, a young girl who was born deaf, and who faces the challenge of going to school with children who aren’t like her. Cece finds herself self-conscious of her hearing aids, and the embarrassing cords attached to them. Along with the problems brought on by her hearing aids, Cece deals with finding the right friends, doing well in school, and crushing on a boy. As stated preciously, this is a graphic novel. And the characters are all bunnies! The illustrations are adorable, and I found they in fact universalize Cece, instead of pinpointing her and her disability to a certain look. Scholars Debbie Golos and Annie Moses discuss the way graphic novels and picture books are effective in the portrayal and education specifically regarding deaf characters in their article, "Representations of Deaf Characters in Children's Picture Books". Click here to check it out!

The way Bell portrayed a hearing disability was extremely informative, being that the story is told from Cece’s point of view. As a reader who knows very little about the deaf community, I was able to learn so much about someone who is deaf, and how best to speak to them…normal! Bell does an incredible job of educating, but also showing readers Cece is just like everyone else, crushing on guys, making new friends, and going to school. One great example of the educational factor of this book is Cece describing the way one of her friends speaks to her saying, "Ginny sure is nice! But how can I tell her that it's harder to understand her when she talks so loud and so slow?" (65). I would say this book is definitely geared at a grammar school age audience, however that is not to say an older reader would not enjoy the book. Deafness is one disability that children may not be as exposed to, and it is important to educate children on what it is like to be deaf, and that children with hearing disabilities are the same as you and I. The disability in this graphic novel serves as a way to show readers that everyone has their own struggles, whether they are as visible as hearing aids or not. 

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins: Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Suicide in Children's Literature

                Impulse is a verse novel that delves into the lives of three teenagers in Aspen Springs, a mental rehabilitation facility. The novel switches between the view points of the three main characters, Conner, Vanessa and Tony. Each teen has been admitted to Aspen Springs for their mental disabilities: Conner for attempted suicide with a gun, Vanessa for cutting her wrists, and Tony for his addiction to drugs. I will warn you the content of the verse novel could be inappropriate for younger readers. Inappropriate language is used sparingly throughout, as well as sexual references and graphic content regarding suicide attempts and cutting. However, in no way would I suggest this content takes away from the novel, I believe it adds to the raw, honest lives of the characters.

What is interesting about this book is while the teens are in the facility for things like depression and bipolar disorder, the reader gets a look at the lives of the characters through their own perspective. I believe this contributes to awareness for readers who may be unfamiliar with this kind of mental disability, by putting themselves in the shoes of the characters. Outside of their mental disabilities, these characters remain relatable to any reader. For example, Conner comes from a wealthy upbringing and over-bearing parents who expect him to exceed in everything, Vanessa is living without a mother and a father who is overseas, and Tony was raised by a drug-addicted mother and a non-existent father. Their family lives humanize the characters for readers who may be unable to relate to their disabilities.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and while the content may not be suitable for younger readers, I would not completely count it out. Hopkins does an incredible job of making this book accessible to readers with all different backgrounds and knowledge levels. Disabilities such a depression and bipolar disorder are address in this book in such a way that educates readers, as well as assures readers with similar struggles they are understood and not alone. Want to know what other critics are saying about this book? Click here to check it out. Purchase Impulse here.