Jaylynn's comments (member since Sep 16, 2008)

Jaylynn's comments from the Children's Literature Awards, LLED Fall 08 group.

Princess Pooh
And the winner is....Princess Pooh by Kathleen Muldoon nominated by Brandin Kitt. This book truly displayed the criteria for my award and really touched me. I could related to Patty Jean and it brought me back to my childhood with my own brother. Patty Jean thinks her sister's life is so easy, but after she steals her wheelchair she learns the struggle that her sister goes through everyday.

Hero Cat

This book is about a cat that certainly displays courage and braveness in the story. When it comes time to rescue her kittens, there isn't any doubt in her mind.

Raising You Alone

This book is great at talking about single-parent families. With love and laughter, it talks about the challenges one must go through each and everyday. But most importantly, it shows that parents will always love you.

Pinkalicious

This book surely teaches one little girl a lesson. The little girl loves sneaking the pink cupcakes that are in the kitchen. Her parents tell her to stop eating them, however the little girl doesn't listen. Her skin ends up turning pink and there's only one way to fix it!

Looking Out for Sarah

This book is spoken through Perry's eyes, Sarah's guide dog. They do everything together and Perry really looks out for Sarah. "As we get to know the lovable and sometimes humorous Perry, we learn about the ways a guide dog helps a blind person, Sarah's busy life as a musician and teacher, and their deeply affectionate, symbiotic partnership."

The Witch's Walking Stick

This book surely displays magic but in a good and useful way. The little girl's brother's and sister's make her do all the work in the house and are selfish and mean when they demand something. She finds the witch's magic walking stick and it answers all of her wishes.

Fancy Nancy

This book surely uses "fancy" and complex words. Nancy always seems to have a fun way of saying common words. Through the colorful illustrations and the smart little girl you meet, you're hooked on the book from the minute you pick it up.

Froggy Plays Soccer

This book truly displays teamwork to achieve a goal. Although Froggy makes a mistake, his teammates are forgiving and encourage him to keep going! And at the end Froggy ends up scoring the winning goal!

Froggy Learns to Swim

"Frogs are supposed to be great swimmers. 'Not me!' says Froggy, who's afraid of the water. But with a little encouragement, some practice, and the help of a silly song or two, Froggy develops into an expert frog-kicker!"

Miss Spider's Abc Book

"From ant to zebra butterfly, Miss Spider's friends are preparing for her surprise birthday party in this exquisitely illustrated ABC picture book." The pages are full of color, have great illustrations, and use alliteration.

There is no such thing as “the perfect family,” because each and every family has it’s own personality that truly defines them. However, what about the families that have a child with special needs? Many families in America have children with special needs or disabilities and each member of the family must learn about how their son/daughter or brother/sister’s mind works. Gary Direnfeld stated, “The truth is though that having a sibling with a special need can provide remarkable opportunity for the other siblings to learn lessons in humanity. Far from the concern for negative implications, positive outcomes include sensitivity to others and a remarkable ability to contribute to the betterment of society be it at the local community level on behalf of disadvantaged populations, or the larger community through social action and social policy.” Sometimes when a child within a family has a disability, the other siblings have a hard time dealing with it. They may think their family isn’t “normal,” but what they end up learning is that their sibling is one of the most useful learning tools they will ever encounter.

This award is designed to help the siblings understand their brother/sister’s disability, because I myself was one of those older sisters. My younger brother Johnny, who is now in his senior year of high school, has ADHD and slight/mild mental retardation. He is as normal as every other child in his class; he loves football, always wants to go to the mall to buy new clothes, and he even has a girlfriend. Although, when we were younger, I didn’t understand why my mom would say, “Your brother is special Jaylynn.” There are many books out there to help explain every disability to children. The book should be for children ages 6-12 and explains the disability in a loving way to the sibling. Have fun and happy searching!