National Inclusive Schools Week

Celebrate the 10th Annual Inclusive Schools Week December 6-10, 2010

“Awareness to Action: 10 Years of Celebrating Inclusive Schools”

Inclusive Schools Week highlights the accomplishments of families, schools, and communities who promote inclusive education for all children across the world. The Week celebrates the progress that schools have made in implementing inclusive practices to ensure a quality education for an increasingly diverse student population, including students with disabilities, those from culturally, linguistically diverse backgrounds and those who are economically disadvantaged. The Week is also a wonderful opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. Go to www.inclusiveschool.org to learn more about how your school and community can celebrate this exciting event and to take action throughout the year!

As a former Special Education Teacher who worked as an inclusion teacher, and as a current principal of a school that has had an extensive inclusion program for nearly 20 years, I couldn't let this week pass and not mention it on the blog.  Though we should be living lives that are welcoming to all children and adults despite their individual needs, it is important to constantly raise awareness of the issues and concerns related to individuals with disabilities. 

In anticipation of National Inclusive Schools Week, I began reading Sharon M. Draper's OUT OF MY MIND with my fourth graders about a month ago.  This is a class that has several students fully included full-time.  The students have been familiar with making adjustments for children with autism who might have some quirky behaviors or for a student with Down Syndrome, who requires more support to keep up.  However, they have had limited contact with children with severe physical disabilities.  When I come across this book back in July, I knew it had to be a read aloud.

Sure enough, this has been a very powerful book and the students have been asking some really tough questions as they seek to understand Melody and her disability.  As a result, we are progressing slowly through the story. 

By the way, if there are any awards committees out there listening - there are several staff and 34 children who would vote "two-thumbs up" for this book.  If you are interested, I reviewed Out of My Mind over on Young Adult Literature Review back in July (click here for my review).

Over the course of this week, my teachers and students will be engaging in disability awareness discussions, reading stories which positively feature characters with disabilities, and engaging in activities to better understand what life might be like for a child with a disability.  I do have to say that I am very proud of my students.  Since the school has had such a prominent focus on inclusion, most of our students just see this as a regular part of life.  Yet, it is still good to have these discussions.

On the blog this week, I will be reviewing a variety of books which feature characters with disabilities.  Remember to check daily because I will be giving readers a chance to win one of the books I feature this week.

In the comment section, please share what is your favorite book that features a character with a disability? 

Book Review - Together Forever

Author/Illustrator: Per-Henrik Gurth
Publisher: Lobster Press (October 1, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 years
Source: Copy for Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:
Little Bear loves to tumble in the snow, but what if he wanders too far from Mother Bear? He learns that just like the Great Bear and Little Bear stars in the sky, they will always be together. 

 This is what I call an "awww" book.  Lovely illustrations, feel good text that conjures up a mother and child curled up together reading at bedtime.  Together Forever is certainly one of those books.  It also is a message that beautifully addresses a common fear/concern of small children - what happens if mommy and I get separated?!

In this installment of Gurth's books, Mother Bear warns Little Bear not to wander away or get lost.  When Little Bear looks worried, "Mother Bear tells him to look into the sky for Great Bear and Little Bear and wait for her to find him".  As predicted, Little Bear is distracted by snowflakes and wanders away.  He follows his mother's advice and watches the bears in the sky.  When Mother Bear finally locates her little one, a joyous reunion takes place.  

Together Forever fits nicely in any mother-child picture book collection.  It makes for a lovely gift and it is a book that will be read over and over again. 

Book Review - Lulu and The Brontosaurus

Author: Judith Viorst
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Atheneum (September 14, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 6 to 9 years
Source: Personal Copy

Description from Google Books:
It's Lulu's birthday and she's decided she'd like a pet brontosaurus as a present. When Lulu's parents tell her that's not possible, Lulu gets very upset. She does not like it when things don't go her way. So she takes matters into her own hands and storms off into the forest to find herself a new pet, all the way singing:
"I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, gonna, get
a bronto-bronto-bronto-bronto-saurus for a pet! "
In the forest Lulu encounters a number of animals; a snake, a tiger, a bear, all of whom don't particularly impress her. And then she finds him...a beautiful, long-necked, gentle, graceful brontosaurus. And he completely agrees with Lulu that having a pet would be a wonderful thing, indeed! Lulu thinks she's gotten her birthday wish at last. Until she realizes that Mr. Brontosaurus thinks that she would make an ideal pet for him!
How will Lulu ever get out of this sticky situation without throwing a fit (Mr. B does not respond well to those), or using force (Mr. B is much to tall to bonk on the head with her suitcase), or smushing her pickle sandwich?

Judith Viorst, well known for her book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (among others), teams up with illustrator Lane Smith (most known for his collaborations with David Scieszka) in creating this early/first chapter book that children will love.  Viorst has an interesting way of interjecting herself into the story right from the beginning.  She acknowledges that dinosaurs and people didn't live at the same time, but since this is her book she is going to do what she want.  And she has created a very vivid character in Lulu.  Viorst also shares with the reader that Lulu is a pain, but not a pain in the elbow or the knee but a very big pain in the butt.  It is with this information that the reader begins to get to know Lulu and the story.

So what happens to a stubborn, bratty little girl who wants a brontosaurus for her birthday?  This is where the fun begins.  Lulu goes on a hunt for a brontosaurus and she discovers something more than she expected.  The brontosaurus is a perfect match for our small friend and as a result Lulu has a lot to learn.  However, the story just doesn't end as readers might come to expect.  Actually, Viorst provides three ends for her story.  Readers can chose the one they most prefer. 

When I heard this book talked at a teacher workshop, I knew I had to have a closer look.  The book is long enough to provide a challenge to early readers who are embarking on chapter books, but short enough that it can be read as a read aloud in one session.  The story provides the basis for a great discussion about Lulu's behavior and also what happens when she encounters the Brontosaurus.  Rather than just reading the three endings, an adult can challenge children to predict their own endings and then compare their predictions with the ones in the book.

This is a fun early chapter book that is very well done and will be engaging to a wide range of children. 

Book Review - Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow: A Story of Young Jimi Hendrix

Author: Gary Golio
Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe
Publisher: Clarion Books (October 4, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 9 to 12 years
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads: 
Jimi Hendrix was many things: a superstar, a rebel, a hero, an innovator. But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. A boy who played air guitar with a broomstick and longed for a real guitar of his own. A boy who asked himself a question: Could someone paint pictures with sound?
     This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way. It is also a story of a determined kid with a vision, who worked hard to become a devoted and masterful artist. Jimi Hendrix--a groundbreaking performer whose music shook the very foundations of rock 'n' roll.

Recently, I noticed that someone had mentioned this book on Twitter.  During my next trip to my favorite indie bookstore, I decided to check it out.  I was curious to read a picture book on Jimi Hendrix.  From what point of view would it be told? And what would it chose to focus on? I was pleased with the approach that author Gary Golio uses to tell about Jimi Hendrix the child.  The majority of the book focuses on his early youth, his love of music, and how he discovers his own signature playing style.  The reader learns about the musicians and bands that influenced Hendrix in the early years, as well as, how he began with a ukulele and then a second-hand guitar.  

Steptoe's mixed media focuses on providing a visual representation of Hendrix's music.  The colors splash across the page providing this incredible compliment to the text. 

Golio does a solid job with this biography. And the resources at the end of the book are quite valuable especially if a teacher or student decides to look at them more closely.  This would be a nice addition to a collection on biographies. Jimi: Sounds Like A Rainbow is definitely a book worth checking out.  

Book Review - A Tale Dark and Grimm

Author: Adam Gidwitz
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (October 28, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 9 to 12
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:
Brooklyn schoolteacher Adam Gidwitz offers imaginative new slants on children's classics in this new collection inspired by nine Grimm Brothers fairy tales. Never before have Hansel and Gretel had an adventure like this!

The Brothers Grimm have met their modern day rival in Adam Gidwitz.  His debut book, A TALE DARK AND GRIMM, weaves the tale of Hansel and Gretel into various other Grimm fairy tales creating a new and inspired look at some old favorites.  I truly believe that Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, famous for stories such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, would have approved of Gidwitz's twist on their stories.  
  
However, as the narrator of A TALE DARK AND GRIMM cautions "if there are little kids...why don't you go hire a babysitter.." Gidwitz does not hold back in his version of the classic folk/fairy tale. This tale is not one for the faint of heart. There is a cannibalistic old woman, and a moon that would like nothing more than to eat the tender flesh of a child, and the hacking off of various body parts.  

For those who want to protest that children would be frightened by Gidwitz's rendition of Hansel and Gretel, may I remind you of the popularity of books such as R.L. Stine's Goosebumps or the clamor of children around a campfire or at a sleepover for a scary story to be shared.  Children love scary stories. And they love stories with happy endings and where children turn out to be the heroes.  

A TALE DARK AND GRIMM begins with the narrator who sets the stage for what will be revealed and at various points in the story he interjects himself into the book to warn or explain to the audience what has happened or what will be happening.  Then he takes a step back and begins with the time shortly before Hansel and Gretel are born.  This movement backwards is critical for it sets the stage for what is to come and provides the parameters for the tale.  

As I read through the book, I loved the pacing of the story and how Gidwitz would throw in a "The End" and in turning the page a "Not really".  Hansel and Gretel evolve from very young and frivolous to young and wise.  The things that they have seen and experienced provide a foundation for this growth and teaches them important lessons along the way.  Part of their quest is to find parents who would be loving and kind and caring and not do cruel things to their children and yet they learn over and over again how hard that is to find or even be.  As well as what it means to forgive and to "under-stand".  

If you are in doubt about this book, I would encourage you to check out Gidwitz's Frequently Asked Questions (click here).  He does a much better job of explaining the reason and purpose for the blood and gore.  

For me, I will book talk it and get it into the hands of children who I know will love it.  Understanding that for some children, it might be better if they wait some before attempting to read this book.

I am excited to have discovered Adam Gidwitz's debut novel and I look forward to future books from this talented writer.