Amy,
I don't think that I have ever read a non-fiction book that has brought tears to my eyes. This is such a beautiul story, told through the experiences of these five young girls. The words tell the story, give the backgound and share with the reader information about the girls' disabilities. However, the photographs tell the story about who these girls are and show how their dreams have come alive. In each photograph you can see how the personality of each child shines from their faces.
I love the photos of Shekinah on stage. She is a prima ballerina in the making! You can tell that she loves the stage and the attention of the audience. When she is bending over to accept her rose, the smile on her face and her outstretched arms show that she is in her glory. I also loved the photo of Monica when she is getting ready to surprise her father on stage; this is the first time her father will ever see her stand with just the aide of her cane. Monica has a look of calm pride and poise on her face. Her expression is unlike what I've seen on an average five year old's face. She looks like a young woman. If you look at the helper's face behind Monica, you can see that she is holding the tears back as she lets Monica suprise her father with her special finale. I am sure that there was not a dry eye in that audience on that night.
The author wrote this story to help others learn about cerebral palsy and the accomplishments of these young dancers, but the story also helps readers to see this disability as something other than a text book condition. I think this would be a great book to share with children of any age. It would help to expand a child's knowledge and personal understanding about those affected by physical disabilities. I am sure that there are many children that could connect to the feelings of accomplishment gained from dancing and performing on stage. This book would show them that all children, regardless of their physical differences, can have similar interests and share similar dreams.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Meaghan,
Wasn’t this just one of the greatest books ever! There are so many wonderful things that can be done with this story! I am currently working on self confidence lessons at school and getting the kids to realize what they are good at. I am going to hopefully read this story to them in a few weeks. I want to try and send the message that although these girls are obviously struggling with a physical disability that will impair them from doing things easily; they are still able to do things that they want to do with the help of their family, teachers and other staff. This is also an excellent book to use to talk about features of a non fiction text.
This physical therapist should get an award for creating this program! As a special ed teacher, I love how she is combining physical therapy into a fun activity. It was truly touching to see those girls as excited as they were on stage performing just like real ballerinas! I agree that the most touching part of the story was when Monica surprised her father! I shed a tear at that point as well. I can’t believe that she is only 5!
I like how there were more pictures than text. While the text was informational, you are right, the pictures told the story. I was fascinated by how they were able to pull the recital off. I can’t even imagine how they were able to get those girls in and out of so many different costumes in one show! I appreciated the explanation of CP at the end of the book. I feel that it provided the reader with enough information and also understand what they were reading. Some times, these descriptions of disorders are so complicated to read and understand.
As I was reading this, I kept thinking about a student I had a few years ago who had CP. His big dream in life was to run a race (he was in a wheel- chair). While I don’t think he would want to be a ballerina, I am sure he would have loved to have a program similar to this one that was geared towards his interests.
Amy,
I agree that the author did a wonderful job describing what CP is. I like how the description of CP was at the end of the book. It allowed the reader to develop a personal connection with the children first. When the reader learns more about the disability itself, they are able to visualize the effects it would have on a child. It also allows them to see how kids affected by CP are kids with dreams and aspirations just like them.
I think this is a great book to use with your students. I can imagine that many of your students always feel one step behind the rest of the group. It would be great motivation for them to see how these younger children don't let obstacles stand in their way. I agree that this would also be a great book to use for non-fiction. Although the book is not your typical non-fiction, it still demonstrates the use of non-fiction text features. It would be a good choice for a child that is not usually drawn to this genre.
Meaghan
Since we last discussed this book, I have had the opportunity to use this text in multiple ways. Some of my 3rd graders who are currently identified with differentiating disabilities are starting to become socially aware of their disabilities. As a result, they try to compensate by putting other students down for their short comings. There was one particular day a few weeks ago when I was struggling with behaviors. I sat the students down and read them this book. At first, some of my boys were silly and began to make fun of the appearance of the girls. After a brief character education lesson about individual talents, working hard for something you want to do and just simple respect for those who are different from us; my students had a different prospective on the situation. They didn’t realize at first the physical challenges these girls struggle with every day. By the end of the read aloud, they were speechless.
I also had the chance to explore the world of non fiction text features by using this book. My 2nd graders are low functioning and usually stay away from non fiction text. They prefer the picture books they have looked at multiple times. After reading this book, my students were able to identify and describe the difference between photographs and illustrations, show me where the captions were and also identify the major differences between non fiction and fictional text. Our district has been pushing expository text in the classroom and after reading this book with my students, they felt more comfortable in their general education classroom choosing books similar to this for silent reading!
One feature I really like about this book is how the photographs show children of different races and backgrounds participating in the same activity. Although there are no direct ties to any specific culture or race, I like the fact that this message is simply shown through the photography with out being stated or having a purpose. I feel it sends the message to kids that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from; if you are interested in something you should go for it!
Post a Comment