My Friend Has Down Syndrome
by Amanda Doering Tourville, illustrated by kristin sorra
My Friend Has Down Syndrome by Amanda Doering Tourville and illustrated by Krisitin Sorra tells a story of true friendship between two girls named Carmen and Sarah. Carmen narrates the story, telling or the fun and exciting things her and Sarah do together, also mentioning that Sarah has Down Syndrome. Carmen explains that her and Sarah are in the same dance class and love to tell jokes together, but sometimes people make fun of Sarah because she looks different. Carmen knows that it is never nice to make fun of anyone, so she comforts Sarah and they just keep on having fun! Carmen lets the readers know that even though Sarah may need extra help at school and has to go to the doctor a lot, that they still have so much fun together. Sarah and Carmen plan on being friends for a very long time, even when Sarah is working at her dream job in a children's hospital and Carmen is right by her side, working the x-ray machine. Even though Carmen and Sarah have their differences, they make a great team and are the best of friends!
There are many reasons why I think this book is great for readers with or without Down Syndrome. First, the book shares the story of a great friendship between a girl with Down Syndrome and one without the disability. This friendship shows readers that even though someone they know may have a disability, it does not mean that they can not be friends with them. I also enjoyed the fact that the book showed the girls doing the same activities. The illustrations proved that children with Down Syndrome can do just about anything that children without DS can do, which is something commonly misinterpreted by kids. The book was also great because it included little informational Did you know? blurbs that shared real medical facts about Down Syndrome to inform the readers further about the disability. I think it is vitally important for children to actually understand DS before making judgments about people, and these blurbs provide facts that do that. Like many books about disabilities, My Friend Has Down Syndrome includes a What is Down Syndrome? that informs readers what the disability actually is. It tells that DS is something that babies are born with and it causes them to learn differently, develop differently and look different than other kids. The section also includes a Glossary of terms including: condition, learning disability, prevent, and therapy, which are words that young readers may not understand if they have not learned about a disability before. The last page has a list of more books to read related to Down Syndrome as well as internet sites, and an index to assist in learning more about Down Syndrome. I think that these final pages are so important to add to books about disabilities because they help in explaining disability in general to young children who may struggle to understand the concept.
Doering Tourville, Amanda. My Friend Has Down Syndrome. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2010. Print.
About the Author
-author of nearly 50 books for children
-writes the Friends with Disabilities collection including (DS, Autism, A.D.H.D., Dyslexia)
-writes the Way to Be! collection focusing on children using manners in various locations
There are many reasons why I think this book is great for readers with or without Down Syndrome. First, the book shares the story of a great friendship between a girl with Down Syndrome and one without the disability. This friendship shows readers that even though someone they know may have a disability, it does not mean that they can not be friends with them. I also enjoyed the fact that the book showed the girls doing the same activities. The illustrations proved that children with Down Syndrome can do just about anything that children without DS can do, which is something commonly misinterpreted by kids. The book was also great because it included little informational Did you know? blurbs that shared real medical facts about Down Syndrome to inform the readers further about the disability. I think it is vitally important for children to actually understand DS before making judgments about people, and these blurbs provide facts that do that. Like many books about disabilities, My Friend Has Down Syndrome includes a What is Down Syndrome? that informs readers what the disability actually is. It tells that DS is something that babies are born with and it causes them to learn differently, develop differently and look different than other kids. The section also includes a Glossary of terms including: condition, learning disability, prevent, and therapy, which are words that young readers may not understand if they have not learned about a disability before. The last page has a list of more books to read related to Down Syndrome as well as internet sites, and an index to assist in learning more about Down Syndrome. I think that these final pages are so important to add to books about disabilities because they help in explaining disability in general to young children who may struggle to understand the concept.
Doering Tourville, Amanda. My Friend Has Down Syndrome. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2010. Print.
About the Author
-author of nearly 50 books for children
-writes the Friends with Disabilities collection including (DS, Autism, A.D.H.D., Dyslexia)
-writes the Way to Be! collection focusing on children using manners in various locations