| Down syndrome -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Individual differences -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Individuality -- Juvenile fiction |
| 21 trisomy |
| Down's syndrome |
| Mongolism |
| Mongolism (Disease) |
| Trisomy 21 |
| Differences, Individual |
Available:
Library | Shelf Number | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Acushnet Library | JJ ARMSTRONG | PICTURE BOOKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Attleboro Public Library | PIC ARMSTRONG,M | Material being cataloged | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Bridgewater Public Library | JPAR ARMSTRONG, M. | PARENTING | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Fairhaven-Millicent | JE ARMSTRONG | CHILDREN DISPLAY | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Fiske Public Library | JJ A | PICTURE BOOKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library | JJ ARMSTRONG | NEW CHILDREN BOOK | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Hanson Public Library | ARMSTRONG | PICTURE BOOKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mansfield Public Library | JJ FIC ARMSTRONG | PICTURE BOOKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mattapoisett Free Public Library | JP ARM | NEW CHILDREN BOOK | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Pembroke Public Library | JE ARMSTRONG, M. | NEW CHILDREN BOOK | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Seekonk Public Library | JJ ARMSTRONG | PICTURE BOOKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Somerset Public Library | A R M | NEW CHILDREN BOOK | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Tween actress Mia Armstrong celebrates her fun, funny, beautiful childhood living with Down syndrome in this debut picture book.
Mia likes many of the things other people like--going to the beach, the color blue, drawing. But she doesn't like when strangers stare at her because she looks different from them.
Down syndrome allows Mia to see and understand the world in a way that may not make sense to others. She considers it her superpower--and instead of it making her strange, she considers herself a masterpiece. As we all are.
In this sparkling picture book, Mia offers a glimpse into the life of a child with Down syndrome, helping some readers see themselves in a book and helping others understand those friends, classmates, and family members who are neurodivergent.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Opening lines establish Armstrong's direct tone in this affirming autobiographical debut: "I have Down syndrome, and I like myself exactly as I am. I just want people to be nice to me and to like me for who I am, too." Noting that "sometimes people forget their manners," the speaker details a challenging episode at a shoe store, where "grown-ups act like I'm invisible." At school, the protagonist and classmates, depicted with varying abilities and skin tones, draw self-portraits. When Mia's, a portrait of "how I feel, not how I look" as well as "how I see the world," proves different from the others, she proudly asserts, "I think that makes it the best of all," modeling a confidence later supported by her family's praise. Appearing frequently as multiple vignettes on a page, Thompson's delicate pencil and gouache renderings amplify the emotion that infuses the text's vision of external patience and self-love. An author's note opens, and a q&a about Down syndrome concludes. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
Child actor and activist Armstrong, who has Down syndrome, embraces her uniqueness. Mia likes herself just fine, but sometimes people "forget their manners" or act like she's invisible--a shoe store clerk, for instance, addresses Mom instead of Mia until the child politely asserts herself. At school, though, everybody knows her. As her class draws self-portraits for Back-to-School Night, Mia knows exactly how to express "how happy I feel being me." But her classmates criticize her work, and Mia feels invisible again. Then, remembering Mom's reminders to be patient, Mia explains it's a "double self-portrait," a work that illustrates both how she feels and how she sees the world. Fortunately, "kids are faster than grown-ups at these kinds of things," and her classmates understand. With candor and wry humor, Mia reminds kids and adults alike not to patronize people with Down syndrome. In a gently pointed scene, she wonders if others would be equally rude to very old, tall, or scaly people, and she imagines droll comebacks to nosy questions and blunt remarks. Asked if they're "some kind of alien," a reptilian, green-skinned plane passenger deadpans, "Is that a problem?" Mia's enthusiasm and self-confidence radiate from Thompson's energetic cartoon illustrations. The backmatter includes cartoon-style panels of Mia fielding frequently asked questions about Down syndrome. Mia and her family present white; background characters are diverse. A celebration of self-advocacy, self-expression, and self-acceptance. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.