Author: Maria de Fatima Campos
Title: Victoria’s Day
Publication Information: Published in 2007 by Publisher
Frances Lincoln Limited
Grade level: Preschool and up
Age level: 3 and up
Synopsis
The story encompasses a day in the life of Victoria who is four years
old. The book narrates Victoria’s day, which is a busy
one from getting ready in the morning to go to school, to highlighting her
extracurricular activities like ballet and feeding ducks, to helping with
making dinner to her bedtime routine. Victoria’s day is like a typical day in a
life of any preschooler where she paints, plays games, plays with friends and
reads however; Victoria has Down Syndrome.
Why is this book
a good resource for teachers?
The book was evaluated according to the Disability as Diversity
Checklist and received a grade over 7/9. The copyright of the book was in
2007 and the target age was 3 and up or from preschool and up. The reading
level is developmentally appropriate for the levels intended and easy to follow
because the illustrations describe the written material perfectly without the
text being too overwhelming.
The illustrations used in the book were action photographs of Victoria
throughout her day as she integrates within her home life and life at school
with her parents and her peers positively through participating in the same
activities. Within the story, Victoria is depicted as a genuine individual with
her own personality and characteristics such as having leadership roles like
when she picked out things to eat for dinner and being the cashier when playing
“shops” with her friends at school.
The story line accepts Victoria based on her individual behaviours and
not on an extraordinary talent. The story line could also be told if the main
character did not have a disability. Readers can compare and contrast their
experiences with Victoria’s and realize that there really is no difference
between them. Furthermore, Victoria is not depicted as a person with a
disability rather just a preschooler. Throughout the story, loaded words were
never used to describe Victoria in any way. Within the story, Victoria is able
to identify with her parents, teachers and peers as positive and constructive
role models since, she works together with them to learn and grow as an
individual.
The author of the story, Maria de Fatima Campos, is Victoria’s mother
and this brings a strength and value to the book from a mother’s perspective.
Campos, brings the humanistic characteristics of people who have a disability
which are sometimes forgotten. The book tells the story in a positive light where Victoria’s inclusion within the classroom and
society was celebrated.
AUDIO on Page Content: Link Below
Author: Written
by: Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by: Pam DeVito
Title: We’ll Paint the Octopus Red
Publication Information: Published in 1998 by Woodbine
House
Grade level: Kindergarten and up
Age level: 5 and up
Synopsis
The story is
about an only child (Emma) anticipating the arrival of a new brother or sister. Emma
who is six years old reminisces about not being very happy when she found out
she was getting a new brother or sister. She warmed up to the idea by talking
to her dad about all the fun things she could do with him/her.
Some activities included: going to Grandpa’s farm and feeding the calves,
riding in the back seat of the car while eating fruit snacks and sticking out their
tongues, painting a picture with an octopus, going to see Aunt Wendy and going
on a safari in Africa. Then Emma’s new brother Isaac was born and he was born
with Down Syndrome. Emma then questions her dad whether Isaac would be able to
do all the activities she wanted to do with him. Emma comes to the realization
that Isaac would be able to do anything that he ever wanted to do.
Why is this book
a good resource for teachers?
The book was evaluated according to the Disability as Diversity
Checklist and received a grade over 7/9. The story is based on an older
sibling’s perspective of making sense of an exceptionality of a younger
sibling. At the end of the book, there is a section called “Questions &
Answers about Down Syndrome” where frequently asked questions by children in
families with a sibling with Down Syndrome were summarized. These questions were
compiled by Woodbine House from parents of children with Down Syndrome. I find
this part of the book an extremely valuable resource since teachers would
benefit because the responses to the questions are easy to understand while being
inclusive when describing children with the exceptionality. The copyright of
the book was in 1998 and the target age was 5 and up or from kindergarten and
up. The reading level is developmentally appropriate for the levels intended
and easy to follow because the illustrations describe the written material
perfectly without the text being too overwhelming.
The illustrations used in the book did
not carry any stereotypes with them rather, the book illustrated that Emma’s
brother is able to do the same activities or hold the same roles as Emma even
though he has an exceptionality, which is portrayed in a positive light. Isaac
is empowered throughout the book since; he was depicted as a genuine individual
capable to do many things. For instance, Emma questions her father about
whether Isaac can do the activities she wanted to do with him and she tells her
father, “[h]e won’t be able to ride in the back of the mini-van and eat
fruit snakes and stick out his tongue at cars. My dad smiled and said that he
figured Isaac would be very good at both things”. Thus, even though Isaac has
an exceptionality he is portrayed positively as an active contributing
individual.
The story line accepts Isaac based
on his individual behaviours and not on an extraordinary talent. The story is
told with the main character not having a disability; rather the main
character, which is Emma, is Isaacs’s sister. By the end of the story, Emma
comes to the conclusion that her new baby brother Isaac is not very different
from anyone of us since he is able to do the same things. Throughout the story,
loaded words were never used to describe Isaac in any way. However, Down
Syndrome is used to describe baby Isaac’s condition but is still inclusive
since it’s a medical designation. Furthermore, Emma call’s Isaac’s condition a
“Down thing” but not in a negative way rather she tries to understand the
limitations to having the condition and realizes that Isaac is still able to accomplish
anything he wanted to.
The author of the story, Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, is a mother and a
teacher of early childhood education. This brings strength and value to the
book from a mother’s perspective and an academic perspective on children’s
views, growth and development as was seen in Emma’s character.
Additional Books
Title: So B. It
Author: Sarah Weeks
Publication Information: Published in 2004 by Balzer &
Bray
Grade level: Grade 6 and up
Age level: 11 and up
Title: Where’s Chimpy
Author: Written
by: Berniece Rabe
Photographs by: Diane Schmidt
Publication Information: Published in 1991 by Albert
Whitman & Company
Grade level: Preschool and
up
Age level: 4 and up
AUDIO on Page Content: Link Below
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