Sam's Super Seats

by Keah Brown, Sharee Miller (Illustrator)

A joyful picture book about a disabled girl with cerebral palsy who goes back-to-school shopping with her best friends, from #DisabledandCute creator and The Pretty One author Keah Brown.

Sam loves herself, learning, and making her family and friends laugh. She also loves comfortable seats, including a graceful couch named after Misty Copeland and Laney, the sassy backseat of Mom’s car.

After a busy morning of rest, Sam and her friends try on cute outfits at the mall and imagine what the new school year might bring. It’s not until Sam feels tired, and the new seat she meets isn’t so super, that she discovers what might be her best idea all day.

With funny, charming text by Keah Brown and exuberant illustrations by Sharee Miller, Sam’s Super Seats celebrates the beauty of self-love, the power of rest, and the necessity of accessible seating in public spaces.

Genres: Picture Books, Disability, Friendship, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

Keah Brown is a journalist and freelance writer from Western New York. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Essence, Catapult, Harper’s Bazaar, and Lenny Letter among other publications. She is currently writing her debut essay collection “The Pretty One” slated for 2019 release via Atria Books.

Reviews

[Hannah]

This is overall rather charming, though I'm on the fence as to whether the anthropomorphizing of seats adds to the charm or overdoes it to the point of making it more juvenile than it needs to be. The idea that rest is a source of strength rather than a sign of weakness, though, is fantastic--it's great for disability justice and just a great concept for youngsters to internalize as far as advocating for themselves whatever their ability or disability.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam and her super seats charmed me, and I liked the fun fashion through line of this back-to-school/besties/love-yourself picture book. I've never seen school shopping portrayed in quite such a positive, affirming, jubilant way. Plus it models both meeting your own and your friends' needs with patience, joy, and personality.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this! It was so happy, colorful, and positive. Lots of diversity, in the main cast and background characters, and it reminded me of the excitement I felt when I would get ready for a new school year. I'll definitely order a copy for our library once I can.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story about everyday life for Sam, a Black girl with cerebral palsy. Sam and her best friends go to the mall to shop for going back to school, and Sam, with help from her mom, remembers to listen to her body and rest when she needs to. I loved the self-confidence and self-esteem-boosting practices scattered throughout this book. Sharee Miller's illustrations are a delight as always.

Themes: Disability, Everyday Life, Back to School, Friendship, Self-Esteem, Fashion
Age range: Preschool-First Grade

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think the personified chairs really landed y'all. Otherwise, this is a cute and positive PB with excellent representation of a fun and carefree disabled girl who needs to sit down sometimes. Love the illustrations!

[FionaHarmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was confusing because they went to a 'mall' now i want to go but dad says there are no malls anymore and whoever wrote this is "living in the past"

[Deklan B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a shot of sweetness. The art is gorgeous and diverse and every color and line and background character furthers the story. Its complex in an easy to digest way and it has so many great lines.

‘Daddy helps me get ready so I can sleep in before he heads to work. We brush our teeth, sing songs into our hairbrushes, and after daddy combs my hair, we do something super fun. Every morning, we say four things we like about me in the mirror. Today, I like my dance skills, my eyes, and my fingers too.
“And today your smile is my favorite thing about you,’ Daddy says.
He’s right.
It is pretty great.

‘Cuteness isn’t just about clothes. It’s about feeling good on the inside and outside, feeling strong, and feeling ready to learn.’

The whole premise is…Not to spoil…Incredibly complex in the way a child’s imagination can be, but it’s fed to us in the most commonplace way. This is simply how her mind works, and it’s excellent.

The character designs are perfect, the outfits are great, and the message is so so sweet and cute.

Again trying not to spoil the point of the story, but this is a story about being loved on by your family and friends (and self!) in spite of having what the world would label as a disability. It’s about people who love you helping you develop accommodations for yourself and participating in normal life with compassion and grace. It’s a wonderful story, and my favorite kids book I’ve read in a bit.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam goes shopping with her mom and her friends to get clothes before school starts. Since seats are a significant part of Sam's life, she gives them names and has relationships with them. When she's tired due to her cerebral palsy, her friends take a rest with her and people watch. A good back-to-school story that looks at a different part of starting school--getting new clothes--and shows a kid that you unfortunately don't see in more picture books--someone with cerebral palsy. I love the big spread that shows all the people watching they do while resting because it has such diversity in ability and skin tone.

[Miri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like what this book is trying to do, but the text is clunky and awkward. The idea of different seats having names and personalities feels unrealistic, contrived for the sake of putting forward an agenda. And as much as I support the agenda, the book is not good enough at delivering it.

[Jared White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author and illustrator did a wonderful job of incorporating Sam's disability without having it be the main focus. The book also overall has a great body-positive message and I enjoyed how the girls compliment each other and help one another. "I feel strong"..."You look strong..."I feel good"..."You look cute." Sam acknowledges that her body does have some limitations but she loves it anyway, "I walk the runway, limping with pride with my left hand on my hip."

How Sam views certain seats as sentient was a bit odd but I could see how some children would do that. Despite this, I enjoyed most of the text and loved the illustrations.

A lot of the illustrations have great diversity but I especially love the page spread from afar that shows the two floors of the mall. This spread has great racial diversity, a bit of ethnic diversity, and shows someone with a prosthetic leg, a person in a wheelchair, someone using crutches, a blind person using a cane, and someone with large headphones (maybe on the Autism spectrum?).

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute one about a kid with Cerebral Palsy who loves to shop and dress up. It was great representation of a kid with a disability who is vibrant and full of life and just needs some accommodations, not anyone's pity (in contrast to how people with disabilities have historically been shown). One thing about the book is that it really doesn't explain what CP is, so if you want to discuss it further with your kid you'll have to do a bit of googling. My 5 year old loved it because she loves shopping and fashion and stuff like that and doesn't get much of a chance to read about that kind of thing with her two boring granola moms. One thing I didn't really 'get' was how the different seats have different personalities, like the seat in the car seems to tell jokes and I kinda couldn't tell what that meant. But still a fun and unique book and definitely written by someone who has a lot of self love that she passed down to her main character.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam's Super Seats is super cute! Like Sam, I am disabled, although I don't have cerebral palsy like she (and the author Keah Brown) does. It was so lovely to see such a cute and energetic story about a happy disabled girl having a great day with her family and friends and needing to rest. The personified chairs was a bit offbeat, but I really vibe with it because there's a lot of feeling connected to our accessibility devices and I felt like this reflected that. This book just made me smile a lot. The art is really cute, and there are disabilities represented in the background characters too.

Overall I really enjoyed this and connected with it, and I'm happy for the disabled kids who get to read this, and I'm happy that abled kids get this very real and joyful portrayal of a disabled child. Definitely recommended!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam's Super Seats: picture book celebrating accessibility for kids. Cute, diverse illustrations, and Sam's positivity toward her body is great to see. However, her narrative seemed to ping-pong oddly between sounding very juvenile ("Mommy and me play pretend") and very adult ("I overdid it on the swings"). More explanation of what cerebral palsy is and how it affects Sam would also be helpful for readers who may not be familiar with the condition. Not sure how I feel about the anthropomorphized seats--it's a cute way to show Sam's imaginative and playful nature, but also distracts a bit from the book's potential to make a statement about real-world accessibility.

[Connie T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Sam and her friends go back to school shopping, we learn that she needs to take rests because her legs get tired due to her having cerebral palsy. During this down time they relax and enjoy people watching. Sam's friends are understanding and accepting. Sam's cerebral palsy is handled in such a matter of fact way that the reader understands that there's really no difference between the girls.

The fact that Sam names and befriends couches, benches, and the back seat of her mom's car is meant to highlight Sam's frequent need to rest. However, I don't think this is necessary and it makes Sam seem a bit odd or juvenile.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Penguin Random House through Picture Book Palooza.
Sam has favorite seats which she names in her home and car. She refers to them as friends as she needs to sit in them as she has cerebral palsy. Readers see her cope and be accepted for who she is by her family and friends. They get to go along on a shopping day at the mall and see how she copes with pain and tiredness. Her mom and friends make the time resting on the bench fun and supportive. The illustrations capture the joy and love in this child's life.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea here; the main character is adorable, and has a loving network of family and friends. She needs to rest sometimes, and that is totally fine. The title and the idea of the seats was kind of the weakest link for me; like, it would have been fine and cute to just be about a girl and her friends and the various places they sit when she needs to. Love the representation and feel like it's still a good addition to a library and a conversation starter. Just not as sold on the story.

[Katrina Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character loves herself and that shines through on every page. She also advocates for herself and that’s one of the things I love most about the book. She says when she needs a break and her parents and friends honor that. Such awesome modeling for any kid with a disability or illness. I especially loved how the mom squeezes Sam’s hand as a silent reminder of support and love. The illustrations are inclusive of many body types. Overall, quite charming and great for teaching body positivity and self-care.

[Emma Marten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl named Sam who is excited to go back to school shopping with her mother and friends. Sam is very positive and uses words of affirmation all the time. Sam also has cerebral palsy and talks about the struggles she faces with the pain she endures every day. When she is in pain, Sam finds her "super seats," which are places she can relax to help ease her pain. We get to meet her super seats, Maya, Misty, and Laney. This book is a great way to help answer questions on why some students are given different materials/resources that are accommodations for them.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like when a disability is incorporated into the story, but not the main focus. Young Sam is going school shopping with her friends and mom, but because she has cerebral palsy, her legs get tired and she needs help from some Super Seats! Sam has so much fun shopping and getting new things with her friends, but eventually needs some help from her Super Seat!

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that Sam's story gets to be told! So often, books that center on people with marginalized identities don't even tell a story, they just explain that person to the reader. I find it really othering and also limiting. No one person can represent everyone with a shared identity! Through this book, I got to know Sam as she would define herself :)

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great story about a young girl with cerebral palsy. My 4.5yo son loved this book. Great diversity of characters. I felt like there were two conflicting main themes so the title didn't seem to fit right away. I'm also not sure I fully got the anthropomorphic need of seats or naming them, but I liked how it made cerebral palsy seem completely normal and manageable

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Sam's Super Seats does a great job of destigmatizing cerebral palsy, especially for kids. However, the story isn't super interesting, and I worry that it may only appeal to girls since the majority of it is about shopping. Yay gender norms.

Diverse:
- Sam is Black and has cerebral palsy.
- One of her friends is of Asian heritage.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel good picture book about Sam going back to school shopping with her two best friends. Sam has her super seats to keep her centered and also a place to rest when she is tired. Brown’s upbeat text and Miller’s playful pencil, watercolor on paper with Photoshop illustrations, makes for a beautiful read on self-love.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more books like this. Great disability rep from someone who has a disability. Normalizes it and doesn't make it the entire point of the story. The background characters are all diverse too. Cute, fun story about girls going shopping for the first day of school.

[Kelly]

I love that you knew nothing of Sam's disability until she mentioned it a few pages in. The book does unfortunately come across as quite didactic in terms of how a disabled person feels. It's on the wordier side, so I'd aim for 1st-3rd grade probably, and you could probably even go older.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute and super important that this centers a Black girl with cerebral palsy - I love seeing her friends and family be so supportive and that this shows that that disabled people can have happy fulfilling lives.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I have cerebral palsy, so I know that when my legs get tired I have to stop and sit.”

A little girl goes back-to-school shopping with her mom and her friends. Sometimes she gets tried from her condition, but her friends are understanding and her mindset is always positive.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl who has cerebal palsy. It tells the story of the day she went to the mall with her friends for back to school shopping. It tells the audience that sometime she has to take breaks as her legs get tired after walking for a long period of time. Cute little story.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this picture book about needing to rest and naming the handy seats that provide rest