The Road To Me- I Now Know Why That Caged Bird Sang, is an exploratory autobiography of a woman who has known abandonment, cancer, abuse, domestic violence, foster care, love and loss in many forms. Jessica Angelique is a very special woman. She has been to the depths of pain and loss and yet she has not built her life on dispair. She has also known love and life; and yet, she has not had a smooth storybook ending. This is a woman who deserves a great two- sided love which will be built out of mutual respect, admiration, decency and purpose.
Her life as a young child can be described as, one horror after another. Her definition of family was redefined by her experiences. She considers one certain foster family to be her parents and that would be Barb and Dave. Jessica considers their children Tony and Alyssa her brother and sister.
They were a foster family that had the care of Jessica within their family for one blissful year. They accepted her as their own until the foster care system decided to end her stay there. The tragedy is that she doesn’t know their last name or, what city in Indiana that they lived in. To top it off…the system will not allow her to try to trace them or contact them. It would be an amazing miracle to find them after all of these years. Her heart aches to reconnect with them and to tell them of their impact on her life. They gave her gifts that they may not realize that they bestowed upon the young girl who had never known unselfish love and acceptance. How different would her life have been had she been allowed to put down roots in this family and grown to flourish and flower? Read the rest of this entry…
The Friendship Puzzle is a wonderful kids book written about and for those children who interact with other children who have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This story is about a young girl, Mackenzie, who goes to school with a young man that she tries to be friends with. She notices that he doesn’t seem to have any friends and so she attempts to engage him but doesn’t understand why he doesn’t respond to her attempts at friendship.
There are some behaviors that the young man, Dylan, does that confuse Mackenzie Mackabee. He sits and swings alone for long periods of time. He covers his eyes and his ears for no apparent reason. He doesn’t seem to smile or talk back when any other students talk to him. One day, the kids are playing soccer when out of the blue, the young man runs and takes the ball and continues running. The kids are upset thinking that he is trying to stop their game.
Mackenzie consults her teacher about her questions regarding young Dylan’s behavior. The teacher is thrilled to have an opportunity to explain that Dylan has Autism and how that affects him. She explains that she is sure that Dylan isn’t trying to stop their game or trying to be a bully.
You will have to read the wonderful story to see how the situation is resolved and how a little understanding can go a long way to helping others to include someone who is a bit different from themselves. This is a wonderfully written book and the colorful pictures on the pages help to show how students can learn about one another and appreciate their differences. The emotions of the characters are reflected in the artwork so that the reader can empathize with the characters in the story.
I think this is a wonderful story book for any classroom setting; but, especially any classroom that may include special needs students who may be struggling to feel acceptance from their peers. The author of the story is Julie Coe and the illustrator is Sondra Brassel; the story was inspired by the children of Jennifer Maloni. I like the fact that these women intend for this book to make a difference in how children see another child who is a bit different from themselves and appreciate and include them in their social lives! There are even some great activities to promote positive interaction between children who are living with Autism or any other challenge that sets them apart from their peers and others who are in their daily lives. After all, everyone deserves the opportunity to be accepted for who they are and to feel like they fit or belong with others in the peer group. Pick up this book and let it be an inspiration to teachers, students and families everywhere!
The book can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com
Rainy’s Recommendations
