This is a short picture book for children, and it is written through the eyes of a young kid.
The child in this book has cerebral palsy and she explains what it is like to have her disability.
Although she has this condition, she doesn’t wish to lead a privileged life and she doesn’t need
sympathy from others. Her disorder has had no effect on her thinking. She still wishes to lead a normal
life and not be treated any differently. While understanding others' emotions towards her, it is clear that
she just wants to be herself and she wants others to remain themselves. At the end of the day, she will
still feel shy from all the staring eyes as she is just human.
Independence is nothing new to this kid, she will gladly live life on her own terms, even if that means
falling sometimes because all you can do is get back up. In the end, even if she may seem strange to
people, she is still confused as to why others are afraid to hold her hand. This is a stunning story and
should be read by everyone, as spreading this simple yet uncommon message is vital.
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
This is a very small picture book for children written by a father who tackles depression because he
lost his son and his mother. He talks about how he only appears to be happy and plasters a fake smile
on his face but in reality, he is broken inside. He doesn’t want people to dislike him when he is showing
his emotions. Michael Rosen describes what sad means to him and even the different forms it can take.
The different forms of his emotions and depression are also portrayed. With external aspects of everyday
life triggering his gloominess, Michael is adjusting to change and is trying to find a way to happily live
with it. Different methods and efforts to try and diminish his sadness are taken by him, while doing this
he reminds himself that just because he is sad, he doesn’t have to be bad. He expresses his sentiments in
any way he can imagine. The book ends with a heartfelt picture in the last pages and it signifies what
Michael Rosen was resembling while writing this story.
My Friend Has Autism
- Amanda Doering Tourville , Illustrations by Kristen Sorra
“My Friend Has Autism” is a lovely children's picture book about two friends, Nick and Zack.
Zack has autism, but this doesn’t limit the magnitude of knowledge that he holds about airplanes.
This book is very informative for young kids as it teaches them about this disorder in simple ways.
“Did You Know” boxes are spread across the book to present precise facts, so the children can have a
proper enlightenment on this topic. This book gives perfect lessons for children to learn about this
disability so that they can understand what the people around them with autism feel like. Certain
behavior exhibited by folks with autism that may seem otherwise odd is explained in a very elementary
and fun way. All in all it’s amazing for kids and will surely be helpful for them to learn about people
around them with autism and how to handle certain situations and understand this condition.
My Mum Can’t See
-Louise John and Andy Elkerton
This short picture book is about a small girl whose mother is blind. Even though her mom has this
disability that doesn’t stop her from having interests and activities which she is quite fond of. All the
hobbies that people who aren’t blind might have, these same hobbies the girl’s mum also has. In the end,
we can see that despite her condition, this loving mother spares no expense in being there for her daughter
and showing her love. This book has few words but the memo it expresses has some serious gravity.
“My Mum Can’t See” is definitely a book which is perfect for very young children and will surely be
loved by them.
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Up and Down
This book tells the tale of two friends, a boy and a penguin. Despite doing everything together, the penguin
had a wish to fly all by himself. After many efforts and even help from his friend, the penguin wasn’t able
to fly yet. This led him to go off on his own to try and learn how to fly by being shot out of a cannon like
a cannonball, the boy couldn't find his friend. Being in solitude made both the friends miss each other,
but luckily the boy found a sign that told him exactly where to find his friend. By making a decision in
haste, the penguin was nervous about his first flight. The boy came running and luckily caught his friend
after being launched. They realized that the penguin’s wings didn’t work well because penguins don’t like
flying. They went home and played their favorite game. In this way, the boy supported his friend, even
with his inability to fly.
This picture book has beautiful illustrations and is ideal for children
Worrying is No Good
Woops the worry worm, worries about everything, even things which aren’t necessarily possible.
Woops' worrying has not let him enjoy anything. Even his friends try to help him with his anxiety, but
nevertheless, their efforts prove to be for naught.
The thing that causes Woops the most concern is his thinking that he is not a smart worm. Smart worms
need to be able to go in and out of apples, but when Woops tries to wiggle then his body woggles, and
when he tries to woggle his body wiggles. To fix this he joins a school and meets another worm with the
same problem as him, his chronic uneasiness. After giving advice to this worm that he should have taken
himself, Woops realizes that worrying is no good and continues to live happily without worrying
unnecessarily about useless things.
This is a children’s picture book and is exemplary at teaching kids how to battle anxiety and be happier
by enjoying the moment and not getting worked up about the future.
Vibhuti Cat
Shikhandin, Illustrated by Shubham Lakhera
Although Magesh was just two years younger than his older brother, Vignesh, who was in the fourth
grade, he couldn’t speak in whole sentences, just one or two words at a time. When he threw tantrums
then his movements became jerky and fidgety. He just loved playing with his brother and his Vibhuti Cat.
It is clear that Magesh is different from other kids and may have special needs.
With Magesh starting at a new school, he was learning how to take care of himself and was getting
smarter. He had a desire to make his cat fly, so he gave his brother an idea that involved a kite. Magesh
drew Vibhuti Cat on the kite and both the brothers heartily watched as the cat soared through the sky until
it became too dark to see. Experiencing this every evening, Magesh said for the first time, “Anna, let’s
make Vibhuti Cat fly again”
This is a beautiful story about a special young boy with a joyful mind and would be suggested for kids.
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Neel on Wheels
This book is narrated by Neel’s younger brother. Neel is confined to a wheelchair but is still considered
the hero and savior in all of the dangers faced by these siblings. In any situation, there is no need to fear
because Neel has wheels. This younger brother is clearly instilling pride and confidence in his brother,
without trying to make his condition his personality. Rather than considering Neel a liability, his amazing
brother makes him out to be the only thing that can rescue them from any problems that they may come
across. Even in a situation in which Neel’s wheels aren’t available, his younger brother will find something
to make Neel feel important and give him all the credit for doing a good job by saving them from
their agony.
This particular situation gives us a crucial message, it wasn’t his wheels, it was him, it was Neel himself
that his brother cared about. No matter if he has wheels or floats. Neel’s brother never saw Neel as
disabled; for him, his brother is the ultimate role model whether he’s in a wheelchair or not.
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It’s Called Dyslexia
Jennifer Moore-Mallinos, Illustrations by Marta Fabrega
This is a story told by a girl named Manasi who has dyslexia. She didn’t know at first, but only found
out later in school when she was having trouble reading and writing.
At first, she was sad and confused as to why she wasn’t like other kids and why reading and writing
didn’t come as easily to her. After finding out, she understood that it would take hard work and
perseverance. She documented her journey in this little children's book and she tells us about her
experience. This girl was dedicated and very hardworking. Eventually, all this determination paid off
and she also discovered she had a knack for poetry. Things that were fearful to her before were now
being performed by her confidently.
By the end she realizes that it is ok to have dyslexia, she will just have to put in more work than others
but it's worth it. This book teaches us the lesson of not complaining about our specific situations but
being ready for any challenges and being willing to put in a lot of work to achieve our goals.
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I Didn’t Understand
Mini Shrinivasan, Pictures by Shubham Lakhera
Manna is a girl who has Down syndrome, she explains to us in this children's story, three instances in
which she was in school and could not understand what was happening. Since she is 'mentally challenged',
reading and writing don’t come very easily to her. So she asked her teacher to make this book for us on
her behalf and asked us whether we could understand what those specific situations meant.
This book is very intelligently made and it shows us what this girl would feel like and what she would
understand or even not understand. It explains very well the different emotions and the thought processes
of Manna and even others with Down Syndrome.
This book is terrific and it has a great story that was brilliantly portrayed in such a way that only we would
understand the instances and we would also understand why they were not understood by Manna.
In conclusion, this book is fabulous and is a must-read.
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Special Child: Problems and Solutions
This is a book for all those parents whose children suffer from various diseases or even certain social
circumstances that may make it difficult for their kids to interact with the world normally. Luminously,
this book has 26 specific situations concerning special children. Each of these has in-depth details on
everything that a parent may need related to their conditions. Children need their psychological health to
be monitored, we must ensure the mental comfort of these kids no matter what plight they are going
through. Since each issue is unique, all the segments in this book have different ways to spread
information and tackle the problem. This book includes any question you can think of, the key to success,
consequences, factors affecting the issue, characteristics, behavioral patterns, definition, reaction,
management, phases, etc.
Hence, this book inculcates hope to parents struggling with their special child by simply providing
solutions to their problems.
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Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Manual for Therapists, Parents and Community Workers
This educational book tells us everything there is to know about cerebral palsy. It has information on
how to handle infants and even many figures stating different situations. Various questions are answered
in every chapter and we are even taught how to properly assess and observe the child. This is the ideal
guide for parents and other professionals all around the world to do everything possible to handle this
disorder. Extremely specific situations are elaborated upon and even given solutions for, along with this
we are taught the various forms of CP and how it affects the kids. From different ways to carry the child
to different kinds of equipment that can be used at home to even real-life examples and facts, there is
nothing that this book doesn’t have. This book has clearly laid down the roles of the family members
and therapists to maximize the efficiency of treatment for the child. An entire chapter devoted just for
eating and drinking exhibits the depth that this book has gone to.
All things considered, you will never need to pick up another book on this topic to help your patients.
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Fish in a Tree
“Fish in a Tree” is about Ally, a young girl who has been bounced from school to school for years.
There could be many reasons for this, but none as captivating as her inability to read properly which
she has kept hidden, but maybe not for long. Her mind is often scattered and like others, she is tired of
herself. When asked a question she mostly has too many words and not enough. Ally’s imagination and
creativity are miles above others, in fact, she frequently thinks of “mind movies” in which she can come
up with an entire scenario in a matter of seconds. She gets a new kind teacher, Mr. Daniels whom she
wants to like her. Mr. Daniels is different from the other teachers Ally has come across, for the first time
we can see that Ally is bonding with one of her teachers. After Mr. Daniels becomes the first person
Ally has ever confided in regarding her reading problem, he suggests she might have dyslexia.
Nevertheless, her journey continues and slowly Ally becomes a transformed young girl whose
confidence is at an all-time high. This is an inspiring story that teaches us to ask for help when required
and never give up, no matter what hand we are dealt.
Written and compiled by:
Shaurya Tiwari
