Roxy the Raccoon: A Story to Help Children Learn about Disability and Inclusion

by Alice Reeves, Phoebe Kirk (Illustrations)

Roxy lives in the forest with her three best friends, who she loves to visit and play games with. Roxy is in a wheelchair, so sometimes it is harder for her to go to the same places and play the same games as the other animals. Roxy and her friends realise that by making a few small changes and working together, they can make the forest a better place for everyone. Roxy teaches us that there are bunches of ways to be more inclusive of those who have a disability so that everyone can join in.


Part of the Truth Tails series, which aims to eliminate prejudices and encourage acceptance in young children aged 4-8, the story of Roxy and her friends is accompanied by hand-drawn, watercolour illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books

44 pages, Hardcover

Published March 21, 2018

Reviews

[Julie]

Reeves, Alice. Roxy the Raccoon. (2018)

Target Audience: Preschool to first grade
Characters: Roxy the Raccoon, Brad the Beaver, Cherry the Chipmunk, Sammy the Squirrel
Setting: forest
Plot: Roxy is a raccoon that lives in the forest. She lives in a home located at the bottom a tree trunk.
In the first illustration of Roxy, readers can see that Roxy is a raccoon that uses a wheelchair to move herself around the forest. In this story, it’s a beautiful sunny day and Roxy is curious about her friends’ activities. Today she is visiting her friend Brad’s home on the river. Since Brad is a beaver, he lives in a wooden dam on the river. Roxy arrives and realizes that she cannot go into his home because the entrance is at the top of the wooden structure. There is no way for her to enter in her wheelchair. Next, she visits her other friends Sammy the Squirrel and Cherry the Chipmunk. Sammy is playing kickball with other squirrels and invites Roxy to join them but she can’t because she’s not able to kick the ball. With Cherry the Chipmunk, Roxy is invited to go up the tree to see Cherry’s home but she can’t because it’s at the top of the tree.
Roxy’s friends realize that she feels left out and reach out to Roxy to search for a solution. Brad builds a plank so Roxy can wheel herself into his home; Sammy suggest they play catch with the ball instead of kicking it; finally, Cherry, Brad and Sammy work together to build a wooden seat that they can hoist Roxy up into Cherry’s treehouse so that they can watch the sunset together. In the end, the friends talk about how it’s so much better to work on a way for everyone to participate and feel included.
I would recommend this book to students, families and teachers of toddlers, preschoolers, and primary elementary ages because it’s a short and sweet story about how we can positively interact and include others. This story demonstrates Roxy’s difficulties dealing with typical situations that might not occur to someone without mobility issues. The author does not dig too deep into Roxy’s feelings about her mobility difficulties but I like how she uses Cherry, Sammy and Brad to show us how we can approach someone with a mobility issues without making them feel more uncomfortable or singled out.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roxy the Raccoon has a lot of friends who want to spend time with her and include her in their fun. But she is in a wheelchair, so it isn't possible for her to do so. They feel bad about not thinking about making accommodations for her and then work together to find ways to include her.

I found it to have a great message about inclusion and being sensitive to special needs. You cannot change the person to fit the activity, but you can adapt the environment to accommodate the person. That's pretty much the foundation of my Montessori background.

In the back of the book are suggested questions for teachers to use at a circle time for conversation. They can be adapted to fit the age level of your students. And parents reading this book at home could also use these for conversations with their children.

The watercolor illustrations are cute for the most part, though I will say I am not usually a fan of unrealistic depictions of animals, such as a pink chipmunk, in a book that is supposed to be talking about real life issues. Some of the scale seems a bit off and the wheelchair looks like something someone made back in the early 1900s at home. I don't think many children will necessarily notice these things, though. But they could also provide for further conversations with the children. I think the message of the story far outweighs these.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Katharina]

This book was really great, I found it heartwarming and very sweet because Roxy has a disability and has a hard time going the same way as her peers/friends through the forest. At first you really feel for her and are worried that the kids will leave her behind, but her friends find lots of ways to help make the forest a place for all kids, wheelchair or not. It was really sweet to see all the ways that kids can help include those who do have disabilities so that they are not left out.
This is a book I would recommend as an early head start teacher, to read to your kids and show them that because someone might be a little different than you or other kids in the class, that that is okay! We can all be friends.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

*thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsl­ey Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.
Yes, Yes, Yes and YES I do recommend this! It is such a good book about how Roxy the Raccoon who is disabled and needs a wheelchair and what her life is like. This heart felt book for ages 4-8 (but also for older children) shows children that there are ways to include a person who can not walk or stand, in their games and life, and how to be creative in finding ways around obstacles. This is a beautiful story of how Roxy's friends make her feel included. The illustrations done in watercolour are really eye catching. A stunning book for all children.

[Felicia Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully illustrated, feel good picture book that shows children what a difference can be made in a disabled person’s life when someone notices when they feel left out and does something to help them feel included. Something special about this book is that each of Roxy’s friends saw the others helping her overcome her limitations and were inspired to do what they could to help her too. In the end, all of Roxy’s friends displayed teamwork when they came together to help her get to the top of the biggest tree in the forest.

[Gia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that follows Roxy, a raccoon who uses a wheelchair as her means of ability but comes across an issue when wanting to visit her friends. This book beautifully details the different ways that Roxy's friends accommodate her and find a way to get her to the other side of the forest. This book is a great way to teach children about disabilities and also how to be accommodating to those that need it. A great classroom library book.

[Hailey Corman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fiction picture book about Roxy, a raccoon who uses a wheelchair. Roxy wants to play with all the other animals in the forest, but she is limited because of her wheelchair.The friends realize there are things Roxy can do with them, they might have to adapt a few things, but it is more fun playing with Roxy. This book is the perfect example of what to do when you don’t know how to adapt a game for someone, ask.

[Bella Floro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roxy the Raccoon is a heartwarming and thoughtfully illustrated picture book that shows how small accommodations and collective creativity can ensure that everyone—no matter their ability—can join in the fun. With charming watercolor artwork and a gentle message of adaptability and inclusion, it’s an excellent tool for fostering empathy and awareness in children and classrooms.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was pretty cute.

[Quinn Peralta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children’s story tells the story of a raccoon who uses a wheelchair and how her friends make some changes/accommodations so their raccoon friend can participate and be part of the group.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. The story is excellent and I loved it.
Roxy the Raccoon is differently-abled and cannot do the same thing as some of the other animals in the forest but with a bit of thought and working together they are able to play together and hang out and see and do the same things. 5 stars from me - a lovely book to show to young school children.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming children's book uses animals playing together as a means to teach the importance of working together to break down barriers to include peers of all levels of ability!

[Ruth Frampton · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book written to attempt to address disability and the exclusion of wheelchair users but feels more of a slap in the face rather than supportive in its tone. Firstly, Where am I coming from with this statement. I have grown up around wheelchair users and those with a wide range of disabilities, both physical, mental and learning. The choice of an outdated invalid chair rather than a modern, brightly coloured sports chair was the first thing that jumped out at me, and possibly someone without my close association with this area would think this my first overreaction, however, when this book is aimed at inclusion, this image is not in line with that thought. Overall, I would not recommend this book.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roxy the Raccoon: A Story to Help Children Learn about Disability and Inclusion by Alice Reeves is a book about Roxy who is disabled and needs a wheelchair and what her life is like. 

This heart felt book for ages 4-8 shows children that there are ways to include a person who can not walk or stand, in their games and life, and how to be creative in finding ways around obstacles.

Roxy the Raccoon is differently-abled and cannot do the same thing as some of the other animals in the forest but with a bit of thought and working together they are able to play together and hang out and see and do the same things. This beautiful story shows how Roxy's friends make her feel included. The illustrations done in watercolor and are eye catching. A stunning book for all children.

I received an ARC from Jessica Kingsley Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

[Magy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roxy the Raccoon wants to do things with her friends like see Beaver's house, kick a ball around with the squirrels, or watch the sunset with Cherry the Chipmunk up at the top of the tree. But Roxy uses a wheelchair and can't do those things with her friends. Thanks to some quick thinking on her friends' part, Roxy and her pals figure it out!

Roxy the Raccoon: A Story to Help Children Learn about Disability and Inclusion is part of the Truth & Tails series, whose goal is to eliminate prejudices and encourage acceptance in young children. The book also includes before and after reading questions for parents or teachers.

If you’re interested in reading Roxy the Raccoon: A Story to Help Children Learn about Disability and Inclusion, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roxy is a raccoon that lives in the biggest tree in the forest. She shares the tree with her friends Sammy the Squirrel and Cherry the Chipmunk. The tree is located by the river, where Brad the Beaver built his dam. Roxy enjoyed living in the forest with so many good friends, but there were times she feels left out. Because Roxy needs a wheelchair, she found herself sad when her friends were doing things she couldn't do herself, like kick a ball, or climb to the top of the tree. Roxy has some pretty great friends though, and they all work together to make sure that Roxy is able to do things with them. Beaver builds her a special ramp, Squirrel finds a game she can play. The friends work together to make sure nobody is left out, even if that means making special accommodations for Roxy.
"Roxy the Raccoon" is a wonderful story, which is a part of the "Truth and Tails" Series by Alice Reeves. This story helps children learn to appreciate others, no matter what kind of differences they might have. As with other books in the series, this book includes questions that teachers or parents can use to start a discussion before and after the story has been read. This book is wonderful because it gives teachers and parents the ability to have an important discussion with the children in their lives about individuals that have a disability. We need more books like these! This would make a wonderful addition to any home or school library.
Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roxy the Raccoon was a good story about friendship, adaptability and inclusion. However, sometimes the words were difficult to read and it was a little long for a picture book.

[Mary Greer Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very warm and enlightening story about how Roxy the raccoon and her friends exercised good social skills, awareness, and receptive language in order to break down barriers and be inclusive to Roxy at every level possible. I thought the story was absolutely amazing.