Simply Different Kid Literature

All My Stripes

Written by: Shania Rudolph and Danielle Royer

Illustrations by: Jennifer Zivoin

Publisher: Magination Press

Published date: 2015

Summary: Zane has many stripes like other zebra’s in the story, but Z worries about others seeing his “autism stripe.” The readers learn about how individuals with autism process day to day, minute to minute and life experiences very differently than others. Zane lives through a typical day with all of his challenges and triumphs. Zane learns to accept himself with help from his very supportive mother.

About the authors/illustrators: Shania Rudolph and Danielle Royer are two young teachers. Danielle, who has two younger brothers with intellectual disabilities, inspired her to co-write a book about youngsters who face challenges like her brothers and students. Shania who has worked with many families from various socioeconomic statuses is now a literacy teacher. She helped Danielle create the story aiming to teach how to reach your fullest potential. Jennifer is a graphic designer who lives at home with her children has been creating illustrations in children’s stories for years. She feels most creative through her art work. All three women teamed together to create a fun loving, teachable book.

Auggie and Me   

Written by: R.J. Palacio

Published date: August 27th, 2015

Publisher: Corgis Children

Summary: This chapter book is based on the story Wonder. The main character, Auggie, touched several people. The story focused on three characters each getting three chapters each. The first, Julian, Auggie’s arch enemy, next, Christopher, his oldest friend and lastly, Charlotte, a classmate at his first ever school. Each story is touching in some sort of way. It provokes anger, empathy, surprise and tears at your heartstrings. If the reader has never read Wonder, they would still be able to follow along with this story, but having the experience of Wonder only adds to the thought provoking stories of each character.

Recommendation: I would love to reflect on this book in more depth, but with fear of ruining it for those who have not read the story yet. I loved Wonder. The story kept me at the edge of my seat. This book did the same. I didn’t want to put the book down. I still have anger in my heart from the character of Julian but hearing the background of why he acts the way he does, truly makes you wonder why children can be so cruel in the first place. Reading how Julian evolves throughout his chapters force the reader to reflect on their own shortcomings and understand his reasoning behind his actions. Meeting the other characters in the story are much of the same. My recommendation would be to read this book! It is so incredible and emotions run wild!

Whoever You Are          

Written by: Mem Fox

Illustrated by: Leslie Staub

Publisher: Voyager Books

Publish date: 2001

Summary: The author created a story around many different types of people. Describing how different each one can be but how they are loved no matter what color their skin is, where they reside, how they look on the outside, what they feel on the inside, school they attend, religion they believe or the food they eat. All of the characters in the story are children. This book is culturally responsive to all children. It promotes social justice for all.

Reflection: In addition to finding children’s books that reflect characters with drawbacks, this book kept coming up whenever I did some research. I can understand why. Mem Fox created a book that relates to all different children. It touches the child who lives in the middle east, it touches the child whose color of their skin is a light shade of cinnamon, it touches the child who is religious or is injured. The book ends with no matter what the difference may be in the character, they all have hearts that feel the same kind of love.

I like how simple the book is. The words are not difficult to understand and easy to read. It is the simplest form of humanity in less than 15 pages. I liek this book because it screams diversity in such a beautiful way.

It’s Okay to Make Mistakes

Written and illustrated by: Todd Parr

Publish date: 2014

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary: Much like the book, It’s Okay to Be Different. Todd Parr has created a story explaining it is okay to make mistakes. The characters are challenged by things and quickly find a solution to the problem. “It is okay to fall down, you can always get back up.” ‘It’s okay to get mixed up, you can always ask for help.”

It’s Okay to Be Different

Written and illustrated by: Todd Parr

Publish date: April 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary/About the author: Todd Parr lives in Berkley, California with his three adopted pitbulls. He has created over 40 different children’s books. He has been on the New York Times Bestseller list several different times for his ability to write stories that relate to anyone. Todd created this book with an abundance of color and several types of people. It shows the reader it is okay to be different. Todd Parr has a great website dedicated to all the things he loves; charities, his family life, literacy and showing the world it is okay to be who you are.

Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are much like all other Todd Parr books. Each page is bright. Each page is colorful, it reflects real life people “It is okay to be missing a tooth (or two or three.)” “It is okay to have wheels.” “It is okay to have two moms or two dads.” With each turning page, the illustrations create a safe space for the reader. As I read along, I could see myself or someone I knew in each page without hesitation. I could relate to each character.

Reflection: My reason for choosing this book for my “character with disabilities” theme is because of all the different character described in this book. They are not your typical character, the characters do not conform to “norms” of one stereotype. There are characters with physical differences, disabilities, unusual pets, progressive family lifestyles and even ones who make mistakes. Reading this story to my students with special needs; they are all able to find themselves when reading this book. I know each one of them can make a personal connection to a page in this book. While following Todd Parr on instagram, he made a challenge to his followers; asking them to tag themselves in one of the books he wrote that could be most relative to them. When scrolling through the feed, the majority of the followers chose; It’s Okay to Be Different.

Classroom Application: K-2 grades. When presenting this book to my students, I asked them to listen to the story and find a page they were able to relate to the most. Asking them to recreate the page in their own way. I posed the question, “what if Mr. Parr needed more pages to his book? Let’s create more pages that are different.” My kids loved this. They all made different pages; some included their own disabilities. A few examples included; “It’s okay to have never met your mom.” “It is okay to have glasses.” “It is okay to have a feeding tube.” “It is okay to be black and white at the same time.” All things that made them different but it’s “okay.” As a celebration at the end, we watched the tv show made after the characters from this story and the story line. 

We’re All Wonders

Written and illustrated by: R.J. Palacio

Publish date: March 2017

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Summary: Auggie Pullman and his sidekick Daisy (a black and yellow dog) share adventures throughout a big city. Auggie is a boy who likes ice cream, riding his bike and play ball but he is far from ordinary. He does not look like other kids, which causes him to be very different. He has a physical disability versus something internal.

Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are bright and culturally responsive. There are children with headscarves, african americans, girls with purple hair, freckles, and glasses. When the written text is talking about something uncomfortable for Auggie, there is a change from the bright colors to black swirls or more blank white to the page. The mood changes with the text. The author uses large text to explain something exciting or BIG. She also puts the text in a variety of different places along the pages. This makes for a friendly book for all ages.

Reflection: After reading Wonder, I found this book to be the abridged version for children. It teaches the reader that not everyone looks the same. The difference in appearance can be difficult to understand and hurtful if not respected.

“But 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.”

For a younger audience, I think this book is perfect to teach how to be kind to others. I like that the author created this book for a contrasting crowd, related to Wonder.

El Deafo

Written/ illustrated by: Cece Bell

Color by: David Lasky

Publication date: 2014

Publisher: Amulet Books

Summary: A young girl, Cece goes deaf at the age of four. Her life changes dramatically. It also changes her family and friends alike. The story unfolds with how she tries to adapt to this new and ever changing lifestyle.

Illustrations: The book is a graphic novel. The author has unique touches to the book. At the top page on the left hand corner, there is chapter number. When the protagonist is asking herself a question. It has a yellow bar with the words inside. These are her own quiet thoughts but it shares with the reader her thoughts and feelings. Each picture (which can be multiple to a page) describes the flow of the story. Words that become lost in Cece’s thoughts are words in speech bubbles but written in gray text. These subtle clues make the memoir fun to follow. The colors of the pages are also bright and friendly. The characters are also not exactly a human but more of a rabbit-like feature character.

Writing Style: The graphic novel is distinguished from the term “comic book.” It is usually written in comic strip form, published in a book. Comic books have made a comeback to children’s literature. I think it is important to understand this book’s unique style.

Reflection: El Deafo is a quick read with long lasting impressions. While reading this story, the character’s disability did not happen at birth. It happened after she was able to sing, dance, and move about the world with more independence than after her disability. The reader will quickly fall in love with Cece and feel defensive with the other characters who misunderstand her and judge her, but will feel empathic to the characters in her life who love her and want her to be happy and successful. The story also takes place in the 1970’s. While reading, I needed to remind myself of the time period, as I was thinking it was modern day. I think the time period sets a great tone for the story. While researching the author, I realized this was more of the factual situations from her experiences since the book was written about her life. The book is special and in my opinion amazing. I enjoyed Cece making herself into a superhero with her challenges due to the disability as well as the protagonist being a female!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Written by: Mark Haddon

Publication date: May 2003

Publisher: Doubleday

Summary: A young British boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, discovers his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, dead in his neighbor’s yard. Christopher living with a mild case of autism is bright and curious. Christopher decides against threats from local authority, his father, neighbors and others to solve the mystery of the dead Wellington. A story unfolds about Christopher and he journey through the murder mystery of Wellington.

Reflection: While reading this story, I had a hard time understanding the severity of Christopher’s autism. Based on the short descriptions the author did not describe him to be autistic. As the story progressed and secrets were revealed, I began to understand. I wonder if other readers would also feel this way. Maybe this was the author’s intention. The author had several other characters in the story, all living on the same block as Christopher. I enjoyed this style of writing: various people living on one street but tangled together in twisted ways. It reminded me of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. Hawkins and Haddon, both British novelists, have similar styles in writing. Reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-time was intended for more of a young adult audience. I would not be able to read this story with my young students, but I could see a High School student enjoying this novel.

Classroom Application: I would use this book for older readers. Even those with more experience in literature. I would teach the students to use a different lense and write predictions while reading this story. There are so many different characters that are intertwined, there is a lot of room for predictions, discussion and reflections. This novel may be a good reflection piece, as the main character has a disability. A very different view point of a young adult with a disability compared to other books in this blog, which are more children’s books.

Wonder

Written by: R.J. Palacio

Publication date: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Summary: A young boy named August “Auggie” Pullman lives in Upper Manhattan with his family; sister, Mom and Dad. Auggie is introduced from the beginning as a young boy with multiple medical facial deformities. Due to the many surgeries and hardships, Auggie is homeschooled, until the summer before entering middle school. The story describes the relationships surrounding this young boy.

Author’s Writing Style: I found this book to be unique in the way the author tells the story. She uses all the characters to describe the story. In the beginning, she uses Auggie to set up the story, using several chapters to paint a picture of the setting, conflicts and other characters. But then she switches to other people’s reactions to situations, conflicts or points of view. The story continues on with other character’s and their perception. The author also gives opinion and conflict. The author’s talented way of weaving emotions, situations and opinions, while adding to the story is brilliant. Any age group could relate to this story.

Reflection: While reading this story, I felt many emotions for this

I love Saturdays y domingos

Written by: Alma Flor Ada

Illustrated by: Elivia Savadier

Publication date: 2002

Antheneum Books for Young Readers

Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: A young girl describes her weekends spent with her two sets of grandparents, both from two very different cultures, but share common bonds in things she does with each set. The comparisons and similarities draw the reader into the wonderful story of a love for the weekends with two sets of loving grandparents.

Illustrators illustrations: The illustrator has a fabulous way of finding details to foster the written text. Each page explodes with color. The two different cultures mesh together. In reference to the pages about the Grandfather’s or “Abuelito’s” one Grandfather shows the young girl his aquarium and the other brings her to the seashore. Both pictures have detail, pulling the reader into the story, almost like watching through a window.

Author’s Writing: In my school district, there is a high population of native spanish speakers. The author using both English and Spanish text to recite the story. For instance, when counting, the author uses English and Spanish to compare across pages. When describing the Grandmother’s, the author uses both languages “Grandma has a tabby cat. Her name is Taffy.” In similarity, she uses Spanish too, “Abuelita has a dog. His name is Canelo.” The setup of how the author tells the story is fun and predictable. Children know what to expect as they read. Teachers can use this predictability to their advantage!

And Tango Makes Three

Written by: Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Illustrated by: Henry Cole

Publication date: 2005

Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: Two penguins from the Central Park Zoo fall in love. Both male penguins; they are unable to hatch their own egg until an abandoned egg is given to them to care for. They have the egg and raise a baby penguin inside the CPZ. Based on a true story from the actual Central Park Zoo.

Reactions: This is the first book I have read that had two characters who were of the same sex. The authors subtle way of introducing the penguins were incredibly smart and effortless to understand. A young child reading this story would make an evident connection to why the penguins fell in love. Richardson and Parnell’s story is surprisingly basic. To me, it shows no complications to what our society often makes very hard to understand. Reading this book will undoubtedly bring up conversation in a classroom. The beautiful part is that maybe there will be a child or two, or three who have a similar family dynamic which will become a mirror to their lives. Reading a story like And Tango Makes Three,  allows the readers to make a connection to the characters. The reader feels bad for the two penguins who are unable to hatch their own egg, but when they do, the joy found in their new family is perfectly imperfect.

The illustrations are accurate descriptions of what the zoo looks like and places close by in New York City. Living so close to NYC also brings a great connection for students in this area. I find that children make a real connection when they are shown places they can relate to.

The Five of Us

Written and illustrated by: Quentin Blake

Publication date: 2014

Tate Publishing

Summary: The Five of Us is a story of five characters who all have a special ability. Each one very corky in their own way. These special abilities save a friend at the end of the story. Quentin Blake uses the special abilities to reflect on how much better the world can be when we all work together.

The Color of Us

Written and illustrated by: Karen Katz

Publication date: 1999

Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Summary: The Color of Us has beautiful illustrations to match the beautiful words across the page. The author describes a day in the life of Lena, a seven year old girl.

Reactions: The Color of Us is so charming! The story follows Lena “the color of cinnamon.” Each person she meets is a different shade of brown. The illustrations are fabulous. The writer has a wonderful way of describing the culturally responsive community with ease. The author has a unique way of describing Lena’s life in a city without outwardly stating she lives in such a diverse area. This book is culturally responsive. It is very people friendly! The author’s descriptive language makes you fall in love with each person Lena meets with only 15 words to each page. There is some serious talent in using less than 20 words per page, describing cultures, feelings, ethnicities, and personalities. If you closed your eyes; you can picture each person with just the descriptions. The illustrations are equally as pleasant to look at. The fine details add such a richness to the book.

Classroom Application: Although my focus is for characters with disabilities, I am finding a focus in social justice to add to this project. The Color of Us is a perfect example for this. Diversity makes us different in the same way a disability or challenge can make a person different. I would love to create a lesson around the word “shade.” Teaching children about this word and what it means by using different color crayons. I would give each child one color crayon but find different shades of the color using the vocabulary word “shade.”

Andy and His Yellow Frisbee

Written & illustrated by: Mary Thompson

Publication date: 1996

Woodbine House, Inc.

Summary: Andy and His Yellow Frisbee is a book about a young boy, Andy, who has autism. The story describes the student who sits alone at recess spinning his yellow frisbee. A new student, Sarah, tries to befriend Andy, although not very successful. In the background, Andy’s sister, Rosie is protective of her little brother but finds friendship in her peer, Sarah.

Reactions: This story seems to end abruptly. I felt the need to reread the story several times before understanding what Mary Thompson’s thought process for this book. I think this book is best for students in upper elementary ages. Younger students may not understand the significance in having a sibling with autism. The book gives a very broad and quick look into autism. As a special education teacher with students who have autism, I find that there are many more complexed behaviors that are attached to autism. There is also a lot of words on each page. This could be overwhelming to beginning readers or struggling readers. While researching Mary Thompson, the inspiration for this book came from her child who has autism. Realizing this book has a publication date of 1996; this book could be a nice introduction to students who are unfamiliar with the disability of autism.