New, Expanded and Often More Sensitive Books for Children on Disability

By Barbara Kolucki (bakoluck@aol.com)

There have probably always been disabled characters in books. In the 1970's, people with disabilities and disability advocates began looking at these portrayals for their accurateness and sensitivity. Courses on the topic of media and disability were created, and anthropologists and researchers presented papers at international fora.

Of course, what was discovered was that indeed, people with disabilities were there. But, for the most part, the presentations ranged from being objects of pity or charity, close to sainthood, waiting for cures, etc. Advocacy began to change these images as well as to increase the numbers of children and adults with disability in all aspects of the media. Guidelines were established by the United Nations (U.N.) and others (see references). Workshops, seminars and training were held in several countries sponsored by the U.N., non-governmental organizations and self-advocacy groups.

The area of children's literature has followed this same path. In most countries there are examples of books or oral stories where people became disabled and then were cured, some were disabled and were evil or saints, others had some supernatural powers. Then, with advances in special education and advocacy, books about "the special child" were more frequently published. Of these, some of the best are "photo-stories/photo-novellas" about real people. Sometimes, the message was about similarities among all children, sometimes it was about the unique needs of a disabled child. Many were published in preparation for the first mainstreaming or inclusion that would take place in schools.

Over the next several issues of this Webzine, we would like to cover the topic of Children's Literature in depth. We need your help in order to adequately report on the topic and to represent as many countries and types of disabilities as possible.

Today, we would like to take a look at some of the newer, and often more sensitive books for young children on disability. Some are designed to be about disability. Others simply include disability as part of the story. We will focus later on books on related or expanded topics, as well as those for older children. One thing that is obvious is that these newer books cover a broader range of topics than ever before. And although many topics are not disability-specific, per se, they do discuss uniqueness, differences and special needs.   And it also seems that many of the books are of interest to, and read by more than the already "converted" audience.
 

Some new winners from the USA:

The Silent Lotus (1991) by Jeanne M. Lee, published by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, New York. The author was inspired by the depictions of dancers on the temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia (Kampuchea). There was a tradition of dancers who performed at the Royal Court and this is the story of one dancer who could not hear or speak. Her name was Lotus - she was named after the blossoms in the lake where she and her parents lived. Her parents loved her, and yet were saddened when they discovered that she could not hear or speak. They prayed to the gods and in one phrase that might be questioned, they hoped that the gods "would take this misfortune away". Lotus' parents did teach her simple signs.  They took her to the temple in the city to see if they would receive a sign from the gods that would at least help them to help their daughter from being so lonely. At the temple in the city, Lotus hears the vibrations of drums and cymbals and for the first time, sees dancers who mesmerized her. She danced as they did and her parents knew they had found an answer. When they met the king and queen, Lotus danced for them and decided that she would study and dance for the royal court. Lotus began to "speak" with her hands and body and she became the most famous dancer in the Khmer kingdom.

This book was adapted for the children's television series Reading Rainbow. It was part of an entire program about communication and included interviews with deaf persons.
 

Mama Zooms (1993) by Jane Cowen-Fletcher, published by Scholastic, Inc., New York.  It is a delightful and creative story from the point of view of a young child whose mother uses a "zooming machine" - a wheelchair. It is about how when this child is on his mother's lap - he becomes a rider on a racehorse, a captain on a ship, a pilot on an airplane. His mother becomes his wave at the beach or his spaceship to travel around the earth. But always, mom and her little one return to earth and she snuggles and puts him to bed. The story and family illustrations are precious.
 

Be Good to Eddie Lee (1993) is written by Virginia Fleming and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Published by Putnam and Grosset Group, New York. This is a story about Christy who lived across the street from Eddie Lee, a boy with Down Syndrome. Her mother was always telling her to be nice to Eddie Lee, but in the beginning, Christy thought he was too different. One day, Christy and her friend, JimBud decide to go wading in the pond on a hot day. Eddie Lee calls out to them and JimBud is quite rude. Although Christy is not rude as well, she still stays away from Eddie Lee. They go to the pond, look for frog eggs and notice that Eddie Lee followed them. They look and look but can't find any frog eggs. Eddie Lee finds a salamander and gently gives it to Christy. JimBud continues to be rude, but Eddie Lee takes Christy's hand and leads her to a smaller lake where indeed, there are many frog eggs and lilies. He shares his secret spot with Christy and also tells her that they must not disturb the eggs because they can get hurt and the mother frog will be sad. They stare at their reflections in the lake and see that both of them "look funny". The two new friends bond and then call out to JimBud to share the magic spot that Eddie Lee found.

The book does accurately depict many of the feelings that a non-disabled child might have prior to "getting to know" a disabled child. It also portrays Eddie Lee as being the one with knowledge and understanding of nature as well as being an independent explorer.
 

Rolling Along with Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1999) is written by Cindy Meyers and illustrated by Carol Morgan, publisher by Woodbine House, Maryland, USA. In this adaptation, the baby bear uses a wheelchair. Their house in the woods is accessible, and he goes to physical therapy in the woods with various other animals! Goldilocks is walking in the forest and comes to the bear's house. She tries the chairs - one too hard, the other too soft and she breaks the little chair. She tries the beds - and has a wonderful time playing with the controls of the adapted bed of the little bear. When the bears return, they find chairs broken, porridge eaten and Goldilocks asleep. When she awakes, it is Baby Bear who makes friends with her, teaches her to try his wheelchair and helps her to find her way home. And they remain friends.

The author is a Physical Therapist Assistant and wrote the book both for the children she works with as well as to introduce non-disabled children to a disabled child.
 

A Picture Book of Louis Braille (1997) is written by David A. Adler and illustrated by John and Alexandra Wallner. It is part of a series called Picture Book Biographies of women and men who made a difference in the lives of others.  Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, Anne Frank, Simon Bolivar, Sitting Bull and Rosa Parks are among the other biographies.

Recounted here is the story of this young French man who became blind at the age of four years. It details the time of the French Revolution and how many Russian soldiers demanded to be housed and fed at the Braille's home. Father Jacques Palluy was Louis' first teacher and the book talks about how he introduced Louis to the world, as well as how his father hammered nails into boards in the shape of letters and that is how Louis learned to read. Louis goes to a regular school and does well despite not being able to read books along with other children. He later attend the National Institute for Blind Children where he could read books with raised letters - but these were cumbersome and confusing. He is taught sonography, a code of raised dots, and he experimented with adaptations and presented his "domino" system for each letter. He and his friend, Gabriel Gauthier made the first writing board and slowly, their system was adapted and it became the official writing code for the blind. In 1839, Louis Braille invented the system using raised dots so that sighted as well as blind people could use "Braille". Louis Braille died in 1852 and was buried at the Pantheon in Paris together with other French heroes.
 

Where's Chimpy (1988) is written by Berniece Rabe with photographs by Diane Schmidt, published by Albert Whitman and Company, Illinois, USA. It is the story about Misty, a little girl with Down Syndrome, and her father putting her to bed. She needs to find, Chimpy, her toy monkey, before she can fall asleep. After her father sees that she will not be convinced to wait "until tomorrow" he tells her to think hard about what she did today and where Chimpy might be. She remembers her day and goes with her dad to the swings, car, the den, under the table, sandbox and finally where she took a bath. There she finds Chimpy hiding under a towel. They take her toy monkey to bed and then, her dad can't find his glasses! Misty tells her dad to think hard and remember what he did. He finds his glasses, finishes the story and finally, falls asleep.

The book is a good bedtime story for any child. There is no mention of Down Syndrome or disability throughout the book. Misty, her dad, and her toys are just there like everyone else. Highly recommended.
 

I'm the Big Sister Now (1989) is written by Michelle Emmert, illustrated by Gail Owens and published by Albert Whitman and Company, Illinois, USA. It is the true story of two sisters, one with cerebral palsy. The younger sister tells the story about her older sister with a disability. Michelle simply explains cerebral palsy and her sister, Amy's limitations. She also tells why Amy is a great sister.  She talks about how she feels about Amy - how they cuddle at night and how she reads to Amy. Michelle discusses how others feel about Amy - and how Amy usually brings out the best in others. She answers questions that many people ask.  She shows how Amy goes swimming and plays with Michelle and her friends, how they spend the holidays with family, the exercises Amy does and how Amy gets fed through a tube in her stomach. Their parents told Michelle how excited Amy was to have a little sister, how she held her when she was small and went for rides in her wheelchair. The book portrays a photo album of Amy as the ring bearer in a friend's wedding and how the family is very proud of her.  It ends with Michelle being the big sister as she gets older - taking Amy for rides on her bike and helping care for her.

The book is a very practical and sensitive story that answers many of the questions young children might have about a girl like Amy. It shows her as part of a family, community and school despite the severity of her disability. It is written and illustrated with dignity.
 

The Gym Day Winner (1996) is written by Grace Maccarone and illustrated by Betsy Lewin.  It is a Scholastic Book and part of a Hello-Reader! - Level 1 series that is available to many first grade students in the USA. The book is about children on Gym Day and one of the classmates, Pam, uses a wheelchair. They all tag each other, race and - Pam wins. Then the children do cartwheels, flips, rolls and move on to shooting a basketball. The children learn to dribble, pass and run.  It shows all the children trying all gym activities - and one boy, Sam, usually being last. In the end, Sam makes the basket for his team.

The book is wonderful in that it is part of a regular reader series and the girl who is disabled is mainstreamed into her class. The story is not about her -- in fact, it is one other child, Sam, who is usually last. It is about trying, missing, trying again - and sometimes winning.
 

A Girl Named Helen Keller (1995)is written by Margo Lundell and illustrated by Irene Trivas. The publisher is Scholastic and it is also part of the Hello Reader! - Level 3 series for Grades one and two. It is written in simple chapters and is about how Helen Keller became ill, survived and was left blind and deaf. It tells how her parents seemed to spoil her when they felt sorry for her, but that they also felt that she was very bright. Helen is described as a wild child and frustrated a good deal of the time. Her parents took her to Washington, D.C.  where they met Alexander Graham Bell, who was a teacher of the deaf as well as an inventor of the telephone. He told her parents to get a teacher for Helen.  Anne Sullivan arrived and worked with her until finally, one day, Helen made the connection between what Anne put into her hands and then spelled with her fingers. She also taught Helen to behave, control her emotions, and interact with others. Helen said that when she finally understood that the words spelled with fingers were about everything in the world, that her "heart began to sing and it was as if I had come back to life after being dead".

The book ends with a list of the accomplishments of Helen Keller and her impact on the entire world.
 

Let's Talk about it: Extraordinary Friends (2000) is a book by children's author and television host, Fred Rogers. It is a Penguin Putnam Book for Young Readers, New York. The photographer is Jim Judkis. The book is about six children with disability. Each child is introduced with information about what they like to do or excel at - and a photo, where sometimes the disability is obvious, sometimes not. The author talks very simply and informally about how everyone is both different and special. Clear, bright photographs show these differences and similarities. He talks about how normal it is to have questions and how we can have many different feelings when we see or meet someone who is different.  He encourages children to say "hi" and to introduce themselves and how often, people prefer when you ask questions rather than simply looking or walking away.  The book shows various ways children with disabilities might communicate with you, how sometimes help is welcome and sometimes it is not - just like for everyone else. Mr. Rogers also encourages readers to find something that you and a friend with a disability can and like to do together. He talks about characteristics of good friendships - being truthful, taking turns and continuing to get to know each other. And how getting to know each other is the only way we can tell what a person is all about.

This book is simple and straightforward like everything Mr. Rogers does. The photographs are beautiful and portray a range of emotions and experiences between disabled and non-disabled friends. His message to be yourself - and to be open to others - is helpful to readers, no matter what the topic.
 

Special People, Special Ways (1999) is written by Arlene Maguire and illustrated by Sheila Bailey. The publisher is Portunus Publishing Co., Santa Monica, California, USA. In simple, rhythmic verse, the author talks about similarities and differences. Artistic, appealing watercolor illustrations depict each verse where children and adults of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors and abilities play and work together. She introduces the tools used by disabled persons as something that can be of interest and benefit everyone. We see how community adaptations benefit many. The book is designed to improve the self-esteem of every child, as well as to introduce the variety and richness of disability to non-disabled children.

Now, it is YOUR TURN. We would like to receive information about books developed in your country, those you like, do not like, recommend to others, etc. We will continue to publish articles in this series for several issues. Please be a part of this journey.