Book Bites -- September 2011
by Houston Family Magazine
HCPL Book Reviews, September 2011 — Special Needs Theme
h3. Toddlers (Ages 1 – 3)
Mama Zooms • by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
A toddler’s wonderful mama takes him zooming everywhere with her, because her wheelchair is a zooming machine.
I Can, Can You? • by Marjorie W. Pitzer
Babies and toddlers with Down syndrome are shown happily and proudly engaged in activities like feeding themselves, playing with blocks, and swimming.
Word Signs: a First Book of Sign Language • by Debbie Slier
Charming, full-color photographs of basic words and animals with illustrations of their corresponding signs offer children ages 1 to 4 a fun way to learn their first signs and vocabulary words.
Picture Books (Pre K-K)
The Deaf Musicians • by Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs
Lee, a jazz pianist, has to leave his band when he begins to lose his hearing, but he meets a deaf saxophone player in a sign language class and together they form a snazzy new band.
Just Because • by Rebecca Elliott
A younger brother describes all the fun he has with the big sister he loves “just because.” He is enthusiastic about how loving and special she is, and delights in telling us about all the fun things they do together. As his tale unfolds, the reader comes to realize that his sister has special needs, and that those needs are part of what makes her unique and lovable.
My Sister, Alicia May • by Nancy Tupper Ling
A girl named Rachel tells the story of her relationship with Alicia, her younger sister, who is very different and very special because she has Down syndrome.
Early Readers (Grades 1-3)
Looking Out for Sarah • by Glenna Lang
The book describes a day in the life of Perry, a seeing-eye dog, including trips to the grocery store and post office, a visit with a class of schoolchildren, and a game of ball. It also describes Perry’s three-hundred mile walk from Boston to New York with his owner.
Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw • by Kaethe Zemach
Dudley Ellington struggles with schoolwork and is helped by a very patient teacher, Ms. McCaw. When Ms. McCaw is unable to draw a face on the board, Dudley helps her figure out how to do it.
Knockin’ on Wood: Starring Peg Leg Bates • by Lynne Barasch
An easy-to-read biography of Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, an African-American man who lost his leg in a factory accident at the age of twelve and went on to become a world-famous tap dancer.
Children’s Fiction (Grades 4-6)
The Danger Box • by Blue Balliett
Zoomy Chamberlain, 12, has bad eyesight, a touch of OCD, and a need for structure. When he finds an old journal inside a mysterious box, Zoomy and his new friend Lorrol investigate and find family secrets and a valuable treasure, while a dangerous stranger watches and waits.
Out of My Mind • by Sharon M. Draper
Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
Anything But Typical • by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Jason, a twelve-year-old autistic boy who wants to become a writer, relates what his life is like as he tries to make sense of his world.
Teen Fiction and Nonfiction (Ages 12 & up)
Rules • by Cynthia Lord
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life, which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she’s always wished for, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: what is normal?
Izzy, Willy Nilly • by Cynthia Voigt
Fifteen-year-old Izzy has it all—a loving family, terrific friends, a place on the cheerleading squad—but her comfortable world crumbles when a date with a senior ends in a car crash and she loses her right leg. Suddenly, nothing is the same. Izzy struggles with the changes in her life until a new friend helps her figure things out.
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller • by Sarah Miller
At age twenty-one, the partially-blind, lonely, spirited Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to teach six-year-old Helen Keller, who has been deaf and blind since the age of two.
