Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism Critical Review

Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism
Source: Lears, Laurie. Ian's Walk. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman Company, 1998.

In the book, Ian’s Walk by Laurie Lears, the character Julie wants to go to the park with her older sister and she is not sure if she should take her younger brother, Ian who has autism, with her. She takes him along and realizes that Ian does things differently. He hears, smells, feels, and sees things differently. Julie does not understand Ian but when he becomes lost she is frightened and has to think about where she could find him. She realizes that she must take a walk in his shoes and she finds him where she knew he would be best, by the ringing bell, and she begins to see things the way that Ian would. As they walk home together she accepts the things that Ian does and she even does these things with him. She has discovered seeing the world differently as Ian sees it.
This book won the Dolly Gray award which is an award given out every other year to an author and illustrator for including an appropriate portrayal of individuals with developmental disabilities. I think that this book definitely deserves that award for its outstanding portrayal of a child with autism. The book is a good portrayal of individuals with developmental disorders because it shows that although Ian has a disability, the things that he does, mean something to him. He does things differently than others do, but he gets joy out of these things and pays closer attention to the things that others do not see. “When we pass Nan’s Diner, Ian steps inside to watch the ceiling fan move in slow circles. He doesn’t look at the waitresses hurrying by with all kinds of sandwiches and ice cream.” (Lears, p.4) Throughout the book, Ian is always more interested in the other things such as the smell of a brick wall or the sound of the stones lying on the ground. I like how the author used these things to demonstrate how Ian is different from his siblings but they love and accept the things that he does because he enjoys those things.
This book is also a great book for the siblings of children with disabilities. Siblings can relate to Julie and her feelings about her brother, Ian. Julie realizes that she has to take her brother along with her to the park. Julie seems to be annoyed at the beginning of the book as we see in the illustrations and the text. She explains that Ian does things differently and she does not understand why. “But he reaches into my pocket for the bag of leftover cereal.” (Lears, p.12) The illustration shows Julie with an angry face and her hands on her hips as if she annoyed by her brother. “Tara and I don’t want to eat cereal for lunch.” (Lears, p.12) Julie continues to find Ian doing things differently but when she thinks he is lost she fears for him and realizes her love for him. I think that this is a great book for siblings of autistic children to read because they can relate to that anger and love that they have with their autistic sibling. They can relate to Julie and realize that there is a bright side to the disorder and learn to accept it as Julie does with Ian.
There is only one aspect of the book where I become confused about the author’s views on autism. At the beginning of the book is a note about autism stating what it is and how siblings may be affected by this disability. It states that the “healthy sibling in the book” is Julie as she has mixed feelings about her brother’s disorder. What sparked my attention was the use of the word “healthy”. One may wonder why an autistic child is no healthier than a child who is not autistic. I think that this is one thing that I cannot agree with that this author of this note, who is a doctor, has chosen to include this word as a way to describe someone without a disability. As I study the field of special education, I have learned that a disability does not make a child unhealthy and I was offended by the use of this word.
Besides this one small issue that I found with the book, I think that it is expected to have in a classroom to teach students about developmental disabilities. It is something that many students could relate to and learn from. Most students have siblings that may annoy them or make them angry but this book shows that with or without a disability, you still have a sibling to love you and you will always love them back. I think that this message is important to have in the classroom and for children to understand that there are many people out there who face these challenges of disabilities everyday and how their families are affected but overcome these challenges. “They grow to understand that while life is not perfect, it is still good.” (Lears, note)

Thank You, Mr. Falker Critical Review

Thank you, Mr. Falker
Source: Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1998.

Picture: Yahoo Images. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images

Thank You, Mr. Falker is an autobiographical text about a young girl named Trisha. Trisha is excited to start school and learn to read but when she gets to school she falls behind all of the other kids in reading and math. She says that the letters and numbers just all look like squiggly lines and they get jumbled together. Trisha becomes discouraged and feels like she is dumb. She gets bullied by the other students as they call her “dummy” and “toad”. When Trisha is in the fifth grade, a new teacher comes to town, Mr. Falker. He finds a way to teach Trisha after school and they practice reading every day. Trisha does not feel so dumb anymore and she begins to learn to read as she had always wanted to.
Patricia Polacco gives an “insider” perspective to the book as she writes about herself and her reading disability when she was a young girl. Polacco gives great insight to the character as she describes herself as feeling dumb or different. Her character as Trisha is a compelling character that is excited to learn to read but becomes discouraged when she cannot. When Trisha tried to read “all she saw were wiggling shapes…and when Trisha tried (to count), the numbers looked like a stack of blocks, wobbly and ready to fall. She just knew she was dumb.” (Polacco, p. 6)
“Trisha began to feel ‘different’ she began to feel dumb.” (Polacco, p.6) The author puts the word different in quotations. Different is something that many people can relate to because everyone feels different at times. I think that it is important to discuss this word and to have it used in the book. Polacco continues to talk about the word and uses other characters in the book to show the support that is given to Trisha by her family members and teachers. On page 8 of the book, Trisha asks her grandmother if she is different and her grandmother replies, “If course. To be different is a miracle of life.” (Polacco, p.8) The author is demonstrating the support that she was given for her reading disability and that being different is a good thing. This book is great for young children that find themselves struggling in school. They may feel that they are different from the other children but this book will help them to gain self-esteem and realize that we are all different and we can overcome anything with much practice and assistance.
I think that Polacco does a great job in making the reader understand her feelings as she struggles to read and wants to give up. The great thing about his book is the fact that she does not give up and she keeps trying. I think that all students could relate to this book in one way or another. Many students fall behind in certain areas in school or find one subject more difficult than another. They can relate to the feelings that Trisha feels as she struggles in reading and identifying numbers and letters. This is true for students with or without disabilities. All students may struggle at one point or another in their lives and it may frustrate or upset them. If students cannot relate to Trisha’s character and her struggle, they may be able to relate to being a bully as are many of the other children in the book. Children can develop a better understanding of the difficulty that Trisha has and realize that she is not dumb. They can understand that it is hurtful to these children and how it affects their lives. This book clearly demonstrates these issues and for children to discuss this book would be very beneficial to their learning about disabilities.
The teacher, Mr. Falker, is another key character in the book as he helps Trisha learn to read and he makes her feel like she is smart. He says, “You don’t see letters or numbers the way other people do.” (Polacco, p.30) This is another example of how Trisha is different but her teacher is accepting of it and he makes her feel as though she is special for it. He does everything he can to help her and he accepts her for who she is. Mr. Falker notices Trisha drawing and he says, “This is brilliant…absolutely brilliant. Do you know how talented you are?” (Polacco, p. 20) I think that it is important for children to see that having a support in their lives is important to being successful. Students can learn to support each other or find the person that makes them feel good or supports them.
This book brings many heartwarming feelings to the readers as it tells an autobiographical story. I think that it is crucial to have this book included in the curriculum to teach students about disabilities because they can easily relate to the characters and can learn and understand disabilities better.

Dad and Me in the Morning Critical Review

Dad and Me in the Morning
Source: Lakin, Patricia. Dad and Me in the Morning. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman Company, 1994.

Picture: Yahoo Images. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images

In the book, Dad and Me in the Morning, by Patricia Lakin, a little boy and his father wake up early to watch the sunrise. He is awakened by his special alarm clock and he puts on his hearing aids and wakes up his dad. They go to watch the sunrise and on the way they communicate with each other many different ways. They communicate through signing, lip reading, or just by squeezing each other’s hands. It is a story about a close father and son relationship and the bond that they share.
One great thing about this book is that there is no disability that is actually stated. It is assumed that the small child has a hearing impairment because he wears hearing aids and he communicates with his father by either signing, touching, or reading his lips. The implication that the boy has a “special alarm clock” just shows that it is an alarm clock that is different from others and so it must be an assistive technology used for his hearing impairment. We are able to read many different clues in the book that lead us to believe that this boy has a hearing impairment. Lakin begins the story as the little boy says, “My special alarm clock flashed…I slid out of bed, put on my hearing aids and my clothes, and took my flashlight.” (Lakin, p.1) On the next page the little boy says, “I flicked on my flashlight so I could read his lips.” (Lakin, p.2) On the next page he says, “Dad and I have lots of ways of talking to each other, like signing or lip-reading or just squeezing each other’s hands.” (Lakin, p.3) Lakin also uses the phrases such as, “he signed to me” or “I signed to him”. These things are all indication of the fact that the boy is hearing impaired but we are never formally told of his impairment. I think this is good because the book shows readers that the impairment does not matter to the book and that it is just another detail to the story. It shows that the little boys hearing impairment is not something to focus on. I think that this is important because the little boy is a normal little boy with a hearing impairment and the book does not make him seem as though it is a big deal.
While reading this story, I noticed that it is focused more on the little boy’s relationship with his father and not his hearing impairment as much. I think that this is important in reading this type of literature because as readers we see how putting hearing aids in and waking up to a special alarm clock are normal, everyday things for the young boy. The author did not decide to write “I put on my hearing aids because I am deaf or hearing impaired.” It does not say “I woke up to my special alarm clock because I cannot hear.” It expects the reader to draw the conclusions themselves about the boys hearing impairment and not to focus on it as the main theme of the story. The story centers on the young boys day with his father as they take a walk to watch the sunrise. The important point in the book is that he has a good relationship with his father. They share a special bond as they can sign to each other or read each other’s lips.

Professional Resource

Understanding Disabilities through Children’s Literature
Source: Kurtts, Stephanie A., and Karen W. Gavigan. "Understanding Disabilities through Children's Literature." Education Libraries 31 no1 (2008): 23-31.

Sources cited in the article:
Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, MN: Stenhouse Publishers.
Iaquinta, A., & Hipsky, S. (2006). Practical bibliotherapy strategies for the inclusive elementary classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(3), 209-213.

Dr. Stephanie Kurtts is an assistant Teacher Educator professor and has been in the teaching field for over 25 years as a special education teacher. She has used children’s and young adult literature to help her students develop empathy, understanding, and acceptance of those people with disabilities. She has used this literature to also implement with her teacher-candidates to demonstrate how to teach these books about disabilities to children to help them develop an understanding of those with disabilities. Dr. Kurtts along with Karen Gavigan, a former librarian, have studied the use of children’s and young adult literature to teach children about disabilities.
In “Understanding Disabilities through Children's Literature”, Dr. Kurtts and Gavigan examine how pre-service teachers can incorporate literature about people with disabilities into their classroom to “enhance understanding of individual differences through a bibliotherapeutic approach. Bibliotherapy is the process of using literature in therapeutic ways.” (Kurtts and Gavigan, p. 1) The article states that it is used in the school setting and is used to build self esteem and maintain mental health and it also helps students without disabilities to understand those with disabilities. Bibliotherapy sessions include reading or listening to the literature and then discussing it as a class. The goals (established by Cook, 2006) are to “provide information, an insight into a situation or experience, and alternate solutions to the problem. It is also to stimulate a discussion of the problem, communicate new values and attitudes about the problem, and to understand that they are not the only ones with the problem.” (Kurtts and Gavigan, p.1). I feel that it is important for students to achieve these goals and for teachers to know that they understand the problems that exist in students with disabilities and that literature is important to demonstrate these problems. Without this literature we would not have a means to clearly demonstrate the problems that exist between people and disabilities and we would not understand others. Students are able to feel a connection with the literature and I was able to see the example that Kurtts gives of Harvey and Goudvis (2006). This example is about a boy who reads a story about a slow turtle and he says that it reminds him of how he feels when his special education teacher comes to get him. He feels slow like the turtle. Many students may feel like this boy, or they may feel dumb or “different”. With bibliotherapy, students can feel this connection and they will realize that they are not the only ones out there with a disability.
“Bibliotherapy has proven to be a useful strategy for addressing the needs of students with disabilities in addition to helping those without disabilities to understand the lives of children with special needs.” (Kurtts and Gavigan, p. 2) First of all, it is extremely important that we have quality literature in which to guide us in our teaching efforts on people with disabilities. Finding literature that properly demonstrates disabilities is important in the bibliotherapeutic approach to help children understand themselves and each other and to cope with problems that they or their families may present. It is an emotional healing process that is guided through literature and so it is important that teachers find the proper material to help children heal and have good emotions. “Examining disabilities through children's and young adult literature provides a new perspective on understanding and acceptance of individual differences, and the importance of being sensitive to those issues that are part of the lives of individuals with disabilities.” (Kurtts and Gavigan, p.2) With that being said, in order to provide this new perspective, teachers must learn to properly select literature that demonstrates these issues correctly and do not under represent the issues discussed. I feel that teachers must first learn how to select quality literature that best represents the issues of disabilities before they use them in their therapeutic approach to teach children with or without disabilities.
Kurtts and Gavigan found that there have been several studies on bibliotherapy and students with disabilities. Each of these studies found that bibliotherapeutic instruction was effective to use to teach children about disabilities and to improve their self efficacy and self achievement. I feel that this is important for these students to improve their self-esteem and to achieve higher goals. Bibliotherapy has been studied and shown to be effective, so I believe that it is an important part of a teacher program. Also, it has been studied and discovered that students without disabilities “may be more willing to discuss their feelings about disabilities when a book or story is used as a focal point”. (Inquinta and Hipsky, 2006) I believe this to be true because students without disabilities need to be well educated on the issues that students with disabilities are affected by and these students may be able to relate to their feelings and their situations. Bibliotherapy may help students to understand each other and to express their feelings on a deeper more intimate level with one another.

Reflection of Set of Texts

Each of the books that I have chosen to critically analyze is about people with some type of disability. I think that it is important to include each one of these books in the classroom because each one represents a different disability and a different outlook on the disability. I would especially use Thank You, Mr. Falker as a prime book in my classroom as it demonstrates the struggle of one child to get through school with a disability while she is bullied by other children. Many people could relate to this book in one way or another, with or without a disability. Ian’s Walk is a good book to use in the classroom because it shows another type of disability that students may not be as familiar with but can learn from. I think that students can also relate to this book as siblings of autistic children or any children with disabilities. I think that it is important to use to inform children on the disorder, autism, and opens up their eyes to what autistic children see, think, and do. Dad and Me in the Morning, is another great book that I would use in my classroom because it teaches readers about a disability without formally saying it. I think this book is important because readers can get a sense that disabilities or impairments are not important but the bond between a parent and a child is.
I noticed that these books bring up the issues of the words “different” and “special”. All of the books address these issues in some way. Thank You, Mr. Falker addresses the word different as Trisha feels different because she struggles with reading. Trisha’s grandmother makes her feel as though she is special because she is different and explains to her that everyone is different. This is important for students to realize that they are all different and that we must accept each other’s differences. The book also uses the word special as Mr. Falker and Trisha’s grandmother try to make her feel special as she struggles. They emphasize her other abilities which make her special. Ian’s Walk uses the word the different to explain how Ian’s autism makes him do things differently than other people. I think that this is also important teach children about the disorder and for them to learn what different is in Ian’s case. Dad and Me in the Morning uses the word special to show that the little boy has special things in his life that assist him with his disability, such as his special alarm clock. He also has a special relationship with his father because they have special ways of communicating with each other. This book shows children that this boys hearing impairment makes him special and strengthens the bond between him and his father.
The article, “Understanding Disabilities through Children's Literature”, ties in all of these aspects and emphasizes on the fact that we as teachers need to use these books to teach children about disabilities. These books can be used in the Bibliotherapy technique to help children gain more self esteem and self-actualization. Students can also become more empathetic for those with disabilities, such as Trisha, in Thank You, Mr. Falker. This article focused on incorporating these books into the curriculum and the importance of these books about disabilities. I think that it is very important to include such books in the curriculum, especially the books that I have chosen to critically analyze, as they are all great books to teach children about disabilities and to help them gain a better understanding about the issues that arise from them.

Final Blog Post: Reflection

Throughout this class, I have learned so much about diversity and multiculturalism. It has been great and I feel that I have gained so much out of it. At the beginning of the semester, I knew that I should expect to be reading children’s literature and that I would somehow be analyzing it. I figured that it would be a lot like TE 348. It was actually quite a bit different from TE 348. In TE 448 we focused on all types of underrepresented groups in the United States in children’s books. We learned to ask questions about these books and had a lot of discussion around these topics.
I am a special education major, so the week that we discussed Al Capone Does My Shirts and the articles that went along with that topic on disabilities, I felt that I had more to contribute to the discussion because I had so much more knowledge about disabilities especially in the classroom. I also felt that I had a lot to learn about disabilities being represented in children’s literature. I enjoyed discussing this book and was able to write my questioning the text paper on this book. I found the articles to be interesting and am happy to be doing my final project on children’s literature and disabilities. I have found something from this class that relates to something in my life that I can connect with and take with me in my future. This class has been of great importance to my future career as a teacher and more importantly a special education teacher.
I feel that I am a little bit more competent in many areas of diversity and can take much of this information with me in my future. I have more resources to go to and I feel as though I will better know how to find children’s literature that is good and useful when teaching children about diversity and other issues along with that. I feel that there is so much more information out there for us teachers to view and to read about diversity. We need all of the information that we can have in order to be successful in the future. I will continue to learn about these topics and from this class I have opened up to new ideas and I have overcome many stereotypes that I have had about different cultures. I hope to be a good educator and open up children’s minds to issues of diversity. I feel that I will find it easier to select the proper literature for my classroom when dealing with diversity. I have gained a lot more insight into these issues on diversity from this class and hope to continue learning about them. I have enjoyed this class very much and I am happy that I was given the opportunity to take it.

Themes

Today in class we talked about all of the books that we had read by looking at other students questions from their critical responses. I found these questions to be very interesting and they brought up all types of themes and questions that I had not thought about before. My partner and I were in the Middle Eastern group where we discussed Habibi. We read all of the questions and were able to point out some of the issues that we had never thought about before reading their response question. We were also able to relate these questions to themes in the class. Going back to Habibi, which seems like it has been so long ago, there are many themes that have been discussed in relation to other books. I realized that there are also some really good questions that other students had about this book. I did not do a critical response on this book but I liked being able to read other's responses and talk about them. We were able to pick out a few questions that all related to Poppy's feelings about Omer and how he was Jewish. There were about 3 or 4 questions based on his feelings about Omer and why he did not want to accept him or he did not want other people to know about him being Jewish. This is important to our class because in diverse books we learn about all kinds of cultures and for a character to feel this way about a culture is important for readers to understand. This is true for so many people that may not want to accept others or may feel uncomfortable with other cultures. We also talked about Liyana and how she felt about her American culture. A couple of students asked if she did not want to accept that culture anymore or if she did. I found this to be important in the theme of identity which we talked about in class too. It is important for people to understand their culture or the many cultures that they come from. It is important for these people to accept these things and find their identity.
I found this class to be interesting today, as I was able to see other students thoughts and ideas. It helped me to reflect back on the book, Habibi, and to remember the important issues that found in the world today. I was able to look at this book and relate it to the themes from this class.