Libraries

Max and Don are good friends who enjoy going places and doing many things together. Over the course of one day they visit a petting zoo and the local library with Max’s mom and go out to dinner with Don’s parents. The story illustrates the friends’ similarities (they both like ice cream) and their differences (Don is in a wheelchair) and teaches children who read the book about individual differences. It also presents positive examples of parent-child relationships. Lively and colorful illustrations portray a wide range of children from multi-ethnic backgrounds. This book is one in the series of “Read-It! Readers Red Level” which, according to the publisher, “presents familiar topics using common words and repeating sentence patterns.” Recommended for school age children.

A boy describes the many fun things he and his friend, Victor, enjoy doing together such as creating cloud pictures, making up scary stories, telling jokes, swimming, riding rollercoasters, playing ball, blowing bubbles, eating ice cream, fishing, and generally, just enjoying their time together like any friends. Illustrations show the two friends engaged in many activities. The reader does not learn until the last page of the book that Victor is seated in a wheelchair. Although this is probably meant to demonstrate self-sufficiency and independence, in terms of a contemporary disability identity stance, Victor’s identity as a child with a disability has been lessened. Notwithstanding, the overall message from this book is that friendship is not limited by physical ability and that true friends accept each other for who they are inside. Recommended for older elementary and intermediate age children. A bilingual text (English and Spanish) adds value to the book by introducing children to other languages and cultures.

This fictional book, written by a mother and daughter team and based on their real-life experiences, introduces readers to 7-year-old Suhana, a young girl with cerebral palsy. Suhana becomes friends with another 7-year-old girl who is a volunteer at the special needs community center Suhana attends. Although Suhana “cannot stand, walk, talk, or play,” the two girls become special friends “of the heart.” An authors’ note at the end of the book gives a child-friendly definition of cerebral palsy and encourages young readers to reach out and make friends with children who have disabilities and other special needs. The story also acquaints children with the concepts of volunteerism and community service and encourages the qualities of kindness, patience, and helpfulness to neighbors in need. My Friend Suhana received the 2016 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award. Recommended for elementary and intermediate grades.

The text tells a simple and easily followed story inspired by the real life of five-year-old Arianna, a little girl who wears leg braces to help her walk. Arianna’s “Magic Boots” (also known as ankle-foot orthoses or AFOs) come equipped with sneakers that carry her to exciting, new adventures when she closes her eyes, shouts “Away we go!” and stomps her feet three times. In this first book, Arianna begins a typical day by brushing her teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and travelling to her physical therapy appointment. During her physical therapy session, she uses her imagination to turn her Magic Boots into safari boots that take her on a jungle adventure where she feeds the animals and helps a baby monkey reunite with its family. Before she knows it, her physical therapy session has ended, and Arianna returns to the real world ready for another adventure. This story teaches that even if we experience physical limitations, our imaginations have no limits. Includes a great explanation of how a physical therapist uses exercises to help Arianna strengthen her body. Colorful pages will attract early childhood educators and kindergarten to third graders. Of concern is that the illustrations misrepresent the habitats of the animals who live on the African savanna.

This book relates the adventures of Zara, a girl who uses a wheelchair, and her dog, Moose. Moose loves to hear the word “hello” so that she can be close to Zara, but hates the word “goodbye” because it means she’ll have to leave Zara’s side. Moose follows Zara to school, but Zara is told that Moose must leave the premises because dogs aren’t allowed in the classroom, in the library, or in the lunchroom (where she makes a giant mess!). The solution, suggested by Zara herself (demonstrating agency and initiative), is to send Moose to therapy dog school where Moose earns a certificate permitting her to become the school’s reading therapy dog. The author supplements the story with an endnote about the purpose and training of therapy dogs which explains that therapy dogs are trained to provide general emotional support and can help children develop a love for reading. This is a joyful book with amusing and attractive pictures that illustrate a diversity of children and adults of multiple ethnicities. Word repetition throughout the text contributes to the development of a sight word vocabulary. Recommended for parents, teachers, and a broad range of children.