Tag embracing difference

See What I Can Do!

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See What I Can Do!
Jon Roberts and Hannah Rounding
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Everybody is different: we all have our individual strengths and weaknesses and that’s part of what makes our world such an exciting place.

Here’s a picture book that embraces difference in an entirely positive way showing how, as one of the characters, Molly, says on the first spread, ”being different doesn’t mean you can’t do anything you want!”

The author goes on to introduce three children with autism who communicate in a variety of ways including in one case, by using Makaton; and then two boys who have dyslexia who explain how this affects them.

I loved what Caitlin and Anna’s friend says in response to the two girls telling her they have dyspraxia and what this means to each one them: “ Well if you ask me, it’s not weird. It means you have your own style. And that’s cool!”

We also hear accounts from children with dyscalculia, ADHD, Down’s syndrome,

Cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy; others have hearing loss, low vision, spina bifida, epilepsy, brittle bone disease or asthma.

One thing they all have in common is a ‘can do’ approach to life that while acknowledging they face some challenges, emphasises what they have achieved and hope to do in the future.

Inclusive and inspiring, this beautifully illustrated picture book ought to be in every primary classroom and on family bookshelves.

Message in a Bottle

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Message in a Bottle
Matt Hunt
Scholastic Children’s Books
Town life doesn’t suit Lion: he dreams of clear sunny skies, wind in his mane, sand in his paws and, his guitar. Nothing more. So when he spies a ‘beach house for sale’ advert he cannot believe his luck. That very evening he packs the necessities – mostly strawberry smoothies – and heads off over land, air and sea until he reaches the island of his dreams. There, he takes up residence and thus, his perfect existence commences …

What joy to wake to the sounds of parrots and splashing waves, to breakfast on succulent coconuts and strum a guitar to your heart’s content. Soon though, unsurprisingly, Lion begins to feel lonely; but how can he communicate his need for a pal without a phone or mail service?

Sunlight moment! Lion decides to write a message, pop it in one of the many bottles he has (sans smoothie of course) and drop it into the sea. No response. Lion writes more messages, puts them into more empty bottles – many bottles, tosses them into the sea, watches them disappear, and sleeps …
What happens thereafter, is not exactly what Lion had hoped;

but suffice it to say without giving the whole thing away, all ends happily and … rather noisily. Which all goes to show that you don’t always know what will make you happy; and that stepping out of your comfort zone, embracing difference and welcoming new arrivals can work wonders.
A timely, important message for readers and, a tumultuous one for Lion. Matt Hunt delivers both with verve and humour.

I’ve signed the charter  

We’re All Wonders

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We’re All Wonders
R.J.Palacio
Puffin Books
This awe-inspiring picture book is narrated by the hero character of Palacio’s incredibly moving novel, Wonder. I was totally knocked out by this new Auggie book. Here, in relatively few, perfectly chosen words, the boy narrator tells us what it’s like to be him – an extraordinary boy who, like other children, does ordinary, everyday things. Things that are discounted by others because of how he looks. His mum calls him ‘a wonder’; his dog is in agreement but, so he says, “ … some people don’t see that I’m a wonder. All they see is how different I look. Sometimes they stare at me. They point or laugh. They even say mean things behind my back. But I can hear them.”

Most children have ways of transcending difficulties: Auggie’s manner of so doing is supremely brilliant. He dons his helmet and together with his dog, Daisy, blasts off through the clouds, traversing the galaxy to land on Pluto. It’s there after an encounter with old friends, that he is able to see things from a different perspective. “Earth is big enough for all kinds of people” he says, Such wise words, which he follows with a hope that people can change the way they see him and themselves.

His concluding “Look with kindness and you will always find wonder” are words that each and every one of us would do well to keep at the forefront of everything we do and every encounter we have.

Then, who knows, with passion and courage, perhaps we can change the world … It’s definitely worth trying.

I’ve signed the charter

Everybunny Dance!

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Everybunny Dance!
Ellie Sandall
Hodder Children’s Books
Foxes generally get a bad press when it comes to rabbits and so here when the dancing, singing,

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music-playing bunnies are displaying their talents, the appearance of a large vulpine creature creeping up from behind sends them fleeing. It’s a case of ‘EVERYBUNNY RUN!’
But then, from their hiding place they spy something totally unexpected. Not a lip-licking fox, but a dancing, clarinet-playing animal …

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They watch entranced. Then virtuoso performance over and bow taken, there’s a tear in the fox’s eye. After which, comes a thoroughly deserved ‘EVERYBUNNY CLAP‘, followed by joyful singing, dancing and playing in celebration of a brand new friendship. Hurray! Now they’ll all play together every day.

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Which all goes to show that appearances can be deceptive. We all have much more in common than outward appearance might suggest. Difference is to be celebrated and embraced; prejudice has no place.
In her jaunty rhyming text and scenes full of enormously engaging rabbits and that show-stealing fox, Ellie Sandal conveys all this without the slightest hint of preachiness.

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