bookshelf

YOU ARE ENOUGH

Name: YOU ARE ENOUGH
Author: Margaret O’Hair
ISBN: 978-1-338-63074-9

A BOOK ABOUT INCLUSION INSPIRED BY MODEL & DISABILITY ADVOCATE SOFIA SANCHEZ

by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 2, 2021

A somewhat clichéd but nonetheless uplifting look at disability and differences.

bookshelf

A girl with Down syndrome celebrates self-acceptance.

Eleven-year-old Sofia Sanchez, the book’s inspiration and visual focus, was adopted from Ukraine as a baby by a supportive American family, who encouraged her to become a model and actor. A sunny note from Sanchez opens the book, explaining that she’s “just like any other kid”; her Down syndrome is “just one part” of her. Acknowledging that being different “can be lonely” and that some people “think being different is scary,” the narration urges readers to embrace their own unique qualities, which all add up to being “enough.” “You aren’t perfect (no one is!). But you are okay being perfectly yourself,” the book declares. The text explores this evergreen sentiment earnestly if somewhat blandly, employing such well-worn phrases as “Being different is what makes you special.” Readers are encouraged not to “stay on the sidelines,” reassured that they’re “stronger than [their] fears,” and told the importance of listening to supportive “cheerleaders.” Exhorting readers to “look for the good in the world,” the book touchingly concludes, “Start by looking in the mirror. Love what you see there.” Cardoso’s bright illustrations animate the common theme, depicting smiling folks of diverse ages, races, cultures, and abilities as they dance, play, and help one another. Resources from the National Down Syndrome Society answer frequently asked questions and offer tips for talking about Down syndrome. Sanchez presents White. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30.9% of actual size.)

A somewhat clichéd but nonetheless uplifting look at disability and differences. (biographical note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-338-63074-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU ARE BRAVE
by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU ARE LOVED
by Margaret O’Hair ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
by Beth Bracken ; illustrated by Sofia Cardoso

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

bookshelf

GRUMPY MONKEY

by Suzanne Lang ; illustrated by Max Lang ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...

bookshelf

It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?

When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)