“Every child is different. Some are loud, they love talking and showing off. Others are quiet and like to be on their own. Some have differences that you can see, while others have differences that might not be so obvious. We are all unique. We all have our own lives, our own dreams and our own talents. Let’s see what we can do.”
This quote from the title page of See what I Can Do! concisely and perfectly hits the issue of inclusiveness and diversity. It’s quite a huge consideration, and we hear a lot of talk about it. (Rightly so!) But we can’t just leave the dialogue to the adults, which happens so frequently. We need to include children; all children; in the conversation and awareness. This new book does exactly that….so, let’s see what we can do.
See What I Can Do! An Introduction to Differences
author: Jon Roberts
illustrator: Hannah Rounding
Graffeg Ltd. (22 June 2021)
ISBN: 9781913733896
Inspired by real-life experiences with a wide range of differences and being differently-abled, comes this beautiful and exciting collection of stories to reach out and create a better understanding of what it’s like for children living with disabilities and life-long conditions, such as autism, ADHD, cystic fibrosis, Downs Syndrome, muscular dystrophy…and many, many more. And it does so by directly engaging with young children, from their perspectives. As you would expect from a child explaining or asking question, the voices are all very direct and matter-of-fact, letting the reader into their world.
Each page, with its’ easy flowing text, talks about a different condition while giving us an illustration filled with images of diversity and difference such that everyone can recognise themselves in this book. Showing children playing, creating music and art, reading…it lets us know what is different about some of the kids on the page and how they handle living with their condition (and where we all fit in.) Is it scary? Yes, sometimes. Is it upsetting? Maybe…but mostly to other people who don’t understand. But mostly, it’s just part of who they are and it doesn’t mean they can’t do things, just that they have to be careful sometimes. As the story tells us (in many ways throughout) we all have our own lives…our own dreams and talents. Not all the conditions talked about are obvious. It is a great bonus to have understanding and straight-forward information on asthma, dyslexsia, dyspraxia; to learn about the different forms epilepsy takes and learn about deafness and blindness…all through the eyes of children who deal with them everyday. This book is a wonderful source for the children who live with these challenges and may need help understanding them on that personal level; help to see all the different things they can do.
Page after page of stories to encourage exploration and understanding of differences and ignite the determination and imagination of children, parents and teachers, this special book is a fantastic resource for the classroom or to share at home. Reassuring and informative, colourful and lively, positive, meaningful and truly delightful. This book is a joy!
Suitable for ages 5-7 (and up!) Thank you to Graffeg Ltd for sending a pre-release review copy; it is wonderful! https://graffeg.com/collections/childrens-books/products/see-what-i-can-do
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