Someone Special, Just Like You Review

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(More customer reviews)I volunteered to put together a group of books for my daughter's preschool (ages 3 1/2-4) which dealt with the topic of diversity and disabilities. I have ordered and read about 15-20 children's books on the subject of children with handicaps. By far this was the very best one that I came across. It had beautiful photographs of children with all types of disabilities and the message in this book (unlike several others which I read) was 100% positive. What I mean by this is that while some other books on disabilities may deliver a message that says "don't be mean, or tease children with disabilities" , etc., this one was totally focused on all children as being lovable and worthwhile people -- very focused on only a positive message. I really enjoyed it and my daughter's class also did. The message is simple, straightforward and very warm. Compared to other books on the subject, this one really was written at a good level for the 3-4 age group.

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Here are children singing, dancing, going down slides, and blowing bubbles. A girl with a sly smile carefully crosses a balance beam. Out on a science trip, two boys step close enough to touch the glass wall between themselves and a huge porpoise. One young child smells a lovely flower, another splashes in a pool, and a third bangs on a tambourine. Here are children discovering the world around them, at home and with their friends.All of these children are doing the things that children like to dothe children in these photographs have handicaps. Although they may not walk, talk, hear, or see the way that others do, that doesn't make them different in their need to experience life completely. Each child in Someone Special, Just Like You is a full participant in the joys and pains of childhood.The wonderful pictures and words presented here are an important first step in helping children, parents, and teachers to understand that the differences that seem to separate these children from others are not important. What is important is the common delight in life: a desire to love, learn, and play, and to be accepted for themselves, as other children are.The photographs in Someone Special, Just Like You were taken at four different preschools in the San Francisco Bay Area. These preschool are for children with visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical handicaps, and mental handicaps.

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My Brain Won't Float Away/ Mi cerebro no va a salir flotando Review

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A BOOK EVERY CHILD (AND PARENT) SHOULD READ
By Constance Castaneda, Speech and language pathologist, New YorkImagine that you are born with a disability that affects your motor skills and makes your body do odd things. It makes one of your hands smaller than the other and nearly useless, and makes one of your legs weaker.
Imagine that due to this condition, simple tasks become difficult and hard tasks become practically impossible.
What if that disability made you the target of ridicule as a child, and now as an adult it still makes people stare at you, or pretend not to see you when you walk down the street?
What would you do?
Perhaps you should do what Annette Perez did; you write a funny, uplifting children's book about your experiences.
The New York City native of Puerto Rican descent, and York College (City University of New York) graduate, just released a children's book titled My Brain Won't Float Away (Campanita Books, New York) based on one key event in her childhood that changed her life forever, for the better I should add.
It's the story of Annie, an eight-year-old girl who, realizing there is something "wrong" with her, gathers the courage to ask her mom what is going on, leaving her mother with the tough job of explaining to her daughter that she has a condition called hydrocephalus (also referred to as "water on the brain," even though as you learn in the book, it has nothing to do with water). Her first reaction, as I am sure we all can imagine, is fear. Annie is scared of that strange-sounding label her mother has just placed on her, and terrified when she hears that she has "water on the brain." But knowledge is usually a good way to dispel fear, and with her newfound information Annie embarks on a journey of discovery that teaches her about hydrocephalus, but also teaches her about love, friendship, and courage. The book is a pleasure to read, and Ms. Pérez gives Annie a voice that sounds fresh, and authentic. As a person with a disability, she knows first-hand the daily struggle that so many adults and children have to go through to do what most of us take for granted. She writes about the time and determination that it takes to learn to live with a body that sometimes will not, and at other times cannot do what you wish it to do.
And she does it while telling a story that reads more like an adventure (which it is). That she also writes on the subject of being ostracized as a child for being "different" and how important it was for her physical and emotional well-being to be accepted by her peers, is a lesson that any child reading the book will relate to, without the need for lectures or a preachy tone. You have to read the book to understand how well it was written, and how much fun it is. Yes, fun.
Ms Pérez, who based the story on her own experiences growing up with hydrocephalus has covered so many bases that it feels like My Brain Won't Float Away is the only book that you'll need to buy for your kid this year. Funny? Yes. Suspenseful? Yes. Uplifting? Yes. Educational? Yes. Does it help you practice a foreign language? ¡Sí! I forgot to mention, My Brain Won't Float Away is also called Mi cerebro no va a salir flotando. The book is 100% bilingual in English and Spanish! That means it is also a perfect tool for any bilingual program. And it is a jewel in any language.
Recommended for all Parents, Elementary Teachers, Special Education Teachers, ESL Teachers, Librarians, Counselors, and Occupational Therapists. A must have for Character Education Curriculum Collections. Children 6 to 10



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Annie, an eight-year-old girl, gathers the courage to ask her mother;Why is one of my hands smaller than the other? Why do I fall so much? What follows is a story of fears, will, self discovery, and finally, triumph. Annette Perez narrates her true story of growing up with hydrocephalus with humor, honesty, and compassion, and proves with this story that even the simplest act can change one's life forever.

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Window Boy Review

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(More customer reviews)'Window Boy' is a fantastic introduction into the life of my Great-Grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill. It completely encapsulates the principals of 'NEVER SURRENDER!' and 'DETERMINATION!' that he lived by. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. 'Window Boy' is a must read for any person of any age, especially a Churchill fan.

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