Professional Review of my friend has down syndrome
by amanda doering tourville
School Library Journal (April 1, 2010)
"K-Gr 3- Characters with disabilities are seen through the eyes of their friends, who relate how they behave and how they may seem impolite or distracted, or cause trouble in school. Robby has ADHD, but he's enjoyable to be around because he loves basketball and likes to try new things. Zack has autism, but his love of airplanes makes him a knowledgeable and fun friend. The message is that patience and understanding are the keys to being a good friend, especially to someone with chronic health problems or difficulties relating to others. Back matter offers a more detailed explanation of the disabilities and "Did You Know?" fact boxes appear on every page. Full-page, colorful illustrations depict multicultural children at home, school, and play. Engaging and empathetic, this set deserves a place on library shelves."
Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
"My Friend Has Down Syndrome." Follett Early Learning. Follett Library Resources, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 Dec 2012.
<http://www.follettearlylearning.com/My-Friend-Has-Down-Syndrome/29771J4/p>.
This review gives a general review for each of the books in the Friends with Disabilities collection by Amanda Doering Tourville. The disabilities that are focused on within the collection are, ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, and Down Syndrome. In the review above, from the School Library Journal, uses the examples of ADHD and Autism, but each of the books are set up the same and the review becomes more general after the examples are shown. Overall, the School Library Journal covered a lot of what I felt in my own review of My Friend Has Down Syndrome by Amanda Doering Tourville. I felt that the book's message was that differences between people should not matter in terms of friendship, and the author of this review seemed to feel the same way. They also mention that the pages in the back of the book (back matter) explain the disability further and that the "Did You Know?" boxes add additional facts. I think that adding this information into the book was truly the selling factor to me. I felt that not only was the story cute, but the additional information really gives students a good reason to get to know disabled students in their classroom or school. They will understand that the students with DS may be different, but that does not mean they can not be friends.This review also mentions the colorful illustrations and how they show multicultural children at home, school, and play. They mention that these images engage the reader, which I would most definitely agree with. Adding colorful and creative images are a great way to grab the attention of readers and that is exactly what this collection of books does. Finally, the School Library Journal concludes their review by stating that each of these books deserves a spot on library shelves and I have to say that I couldn't agree more. After reading this review it is clear that I liked the same things they mentioned, but I wish the journal went into more detail about what they liked and did not like about the book. Instead of just stating facts and things they noticed within the text, they should have talked about the whys and why nots so readers could tell if it was a book that was right for them or not. Though I have only read My Friend Has Down Syndrome out of the collection, I do feel that the amount of information, engaging images, and overall messages of acceptance, patience, and friendship are enough to give all of Amanda Doering Tourville's Friends with Disabilities books on the shelves of libraries everywhere.
"K-Gr 3- Characters with disabilities are seen through the eyes of their friends, who relate how they behave and how they may seem impolite or distracted, or cause trouble in school. Robby has ADHD, but he's enjoyable to be around because he loves basketball and likes to try new things. Zack has autism, but his love of airplanes makes him a knowledgeable and fun friend. The message is that patience and understanding are the keys to being a good friend, especially to someone with chronic health problems or difficulties relating to others. Back matter offers a more detailed explanation of the disabilities and "Did You Know?" fact boxes appear on every page. Full-page, colorful illustrations depict multicultural children at home, school, and play. Engaging and empathetic, this set deserves a place on library shelves."
Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
"My Friend Has Down Syndrome." Follett Early Learning. Follett Library Resources, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 Dec 2012.
<http://www.follettearlylearning.com/My-Friend-Has-Down-Syndrome/29771J4/p>.
This review gives a general review for each of the books in the Friends with Disabilities collection by Amanda Doering Tourville. The disabilities that are focused on within the collection are, ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, and Down Syndrome. In the review above, from the School Library Journal, uses the examples of ADHD and Autism, but each of the books are set up the same and the review becomes more general after the examples are shown. Overall, the School Library Journal covered a lot of what I felt in my own review of My Friend Has Down Syndrome by Amanda Doering Tourville. I felt that the book's message was that differences between people should not matter in terms of friendship, and the author of this review seemed to feel the same way. They also mention that the pages in the back of the book (back matter) explain the disability further and that the "Did You Know?" boxes add additional facts. I think that adding this information into the book was truly the selling factor to me. I felt that not only was the story cute, but the additional information really gives students a good reason to get to know disabled students in their classroom or school. They will understand that the students with DS may be different, but that does not mean they can not be friends.This review also mentions the colorful illustrations and how they show multicultural children at home, school, and play. They mention that these images engage the reader, which I would most definitely agree with. Adding colorful and creative images are a great way to grab the attention of readers and that is exactly what this collection of books does. Finally, the School Library Journal concludes their review by stating that each of these books deserves a spot on library shelves and I have to say that I couldn't agree more. After reading this review it is clear that I liked the same things they mentioned, but I wish the journal went into more detail about what they liked and did not like about the book. Instead of just stating facts and things they noticed within the text, they should have talked about the whys and why nots so readers could tell if it was a book that was right for them or not. Though I have only read My Friend Has Down Syndrome out of the collection, I do feel that the amount of information, engaging images, and overall messages of acceptance, patience, and friendship are enough to give all of Amanda Doering Tourville's Friends with Disabilities books on the shelves of libraries everywhere.