June 2011: Persons Facing Physical Challenges (Master List and General Discussion)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Crystal wrote: "I just wanted to share with everyone I had the opportunity to read The Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination. I really think you all would enjoy it. I am recommending it to al..."

Thank you, Crystal! That sounds amazing.

[Crystal]

Kathryn wrote: "Thank you, Crystal! That sounds amazing. "

Your welcome, I had a fun experience.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I read Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog and think it's a very important book for anyone interested in this subject. Here is my review (five stars):

Oh my gosh, this book is *so* touching and fascinating and powerful. Yet, it isn't hit-you-over-the-head at all, it's very gentle in the telling. I was captivated by the first page when it talked about how Morris had to be shipped *as a package would be* from America to Switzerland because he was blind and didn't have a traveling companion. He was locked in his room on the ship at all times except when he got to go out for daily exercise and he was brought three meals each day--no socializing with the other passengers at meals. Heartbreaking!!! This was in 1927 (I think--had to take the book back to the library already) and Morris traveled to Switzerland to talk to the lady who began a program to help wounded German veterans from WWI get by with help from German Shepherd dogs. Morris got the idea that maybe the dogs could help him and other blind people gain more independence in life, able to do things without needing another person to chaperone them all the time. The story that follows is at once heartrending and life-affirming and I was deeply moved. As an animal lover it was hard for me to read about the early days of Morris' training with his new dog, Buddy; how she stood so patiently by while he learned how to strap on her bridle without pinching her or stepping on her paws. And, by the end, I was totally tearing up when they showed the photographs of the real Morris and Buddy and all the progress they made for blind people in America. (The one of them getting on the United Airlines flight, the first time a dog was allowed on an airliner, really got me as it was taken shortly before Buddy died.) Highly recommended!!! Note that this is a slightly longer "picture book" with "chapters" and is probably more suitable for older children.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I just read The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries and when I discovered the page that had a sample of Braille in tactile lettering, I thought of us here disappointed that the group read didn't have dots on the page. I'm ignorant of whether this 'patch' on the page is exactly what a Braille book would feel like - but I recommend anyone interested check it out. It's a neat picture-book, in any case.

(In my library it was in juvenile non-fiction, 027.073, and there are other interesting books in 027 & 028, juv. & adult, for avid readers like us.)

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I just read The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries and when I discovered the page that had a sample of Braille in tactile lettering, I thought of us here disappointed that the group rea..."

Oh, wow! What a cool find. Thank you for letting us know! :-)

[Lisa]

Kathryn wrote: "Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I just read The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries and when I discovered the page that had a sample of Braille in tactile lettering, I thought of us here disappo..."

Thanks, Cheryl! I just reserved this book at my library.

[Dolly]

"Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I just read The Inside-Outside Book of Libraries and when I discovered the page that had a sample of Braille in tactile lettering, I thought of us here disappo..."

Cheryl, Thanks for the recommendation - we just borrowed this book, too.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I finally read How Smudge Came and second Kathryn's praise. It made me tear up, and though it had a lesson,* I think it teaches it effectively and painlessly.

*Well, several actually....

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

King for a Day


In King for a Day (2013) Rukhsana Khan's words and Christiane Krömer's accompanying artwork textually and illustratively present how in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, the spring festival of Basant with its kite flying competitions and evening fireworks has arrived, how young protagonist and first person narrator Malik has for this year's festival only made one kite to use in the kite battles over the city, but is still sure that "Falcon" will definitely be fast enough to reign supreme, to avoid having its strings cut, and that with his specially constructed for speed, agility etc. kite, Malik will also be able to capture the most kites and to thus be considered "King for a Day" (hence of course the book title). And with King for a Day Khan vividly features a unique spring festival (and that King for a Day of course also tells of Malik's ingenious, competition winning kite construction and kite flying know-how and equally so showing him successfully standing up to and repeatedly defeating a despicable local bully) and with Krömer's illustrations (using a mix of drawings, paper and Pakistani-themed textiles) not only reflecting what Rukhsana Khan's is telling, what she is verbally describing in King for a Day but also nicely visually expanding on the presented text, with Christiane Krömer's collages capturing the crispness and the variety of the many different types of kites in the sky above Lahore for Basant and with Krömer's artwork also depicting that Malik sits in a wheelchair. So yes, and indeed really wonderfully I must say, in King for a Day, that Malik has physical challenges and is in a wheelchair is only shown through and with Christiane Krömer's pictures and is not ever mentioned in and by Rukhsana Khan's text, and that this in my opinion demonstrates how Malik is simply and first and foremost a young Pakistani boy from Lahore who enjoys Basant and is an expert kite maker and flyer and that this also adds power to the idea that Basant is a holiday for everyone and that all abilities and all ages can and do participate (and successfully so).

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...