Three books for children that help them understand that being different is normal

Three books for children that help them understand that being different is normal

The title "Different Us" immediately hints at what this book is about: children who are unlike one another.

Kolya cannot see and walks with a cane. Nina has weak hearing, so she is helped by hearing aids, and she also knows sign language. Serafim, who loves to draw and ride on trains, uses a wheelchair. In Lyonya's family, many members have food allergies.

The book does not have a single storyline. Each spread introduces new characters, and almost everyone has a name, a personality, and a short story. First, one of the characters speaks briefly about themselves in the first person, and then explains their specific condition in simple words. Sometimes children also talk about other features of the body — for example, about melanin, albinism, or alopecia (when a person has no hair).

In addition, the book explains why nearsightedness occurs, why guide dogs are needed, how sign language works, how a birthmark differs from vitiligo, and why people with albinism are particularly sensitive to the sun. That is, this is not just a list of features, but also information about them, so that it is easier for the reader to understand what is being discussed.

For example, children with food allergies need to read the ingredients on packaging carefully or carry medicine with them. A child will learn that allergies can be not only to food, but also to pollen, insect bites, animal hair, and even the cold.

The book has many illustrations. On each spread, there is a little story: children swimming in a pool, preparing a festive dinner with their family, listening to music, shopping at a market, or riding the subway. Artist Anna Ilchenko skillfully "dissolves" the children into the scene. In this way, she shows that essentially all children are the same, without highlighting anyone's physical differences.

At first, you see ordinary children, and only then do you notice a wheelchair, a hearing aid, an unusual birthmark, or different eye colors.

The stories show children through their activities and hobbies. A character with a growth disorder dreams of becoming an architect, a girl in a wheelchair wants to be a coach, and a hard-of-hearing girl loves music. Even when talking about noticeable physical features, the authors make sure to add something else about the person themselves.

This helps not to reduce the characters to diagnoses and physical traits, but to include them in regular society.

The style of the drawings seems unjustifiably primitive, which does not match my personal taste, but judging by customer reviews, most do not see any flaws in the illustrations.

The main complaint is about the length: the book is very thin and can be read in about twenty minutes.

I cannot but agree with the dissatisfied parents: ideally, the topic could have been explored more broadly and even laid out differently, so that the book would look less like a booklet. However, in recent years, little children's literature on the topic of inclusion has been published, because in our country this topic is not yet in high demand. One has to choose from a small selection.

The main merit of the book is that it tells children about people with differences in a convenient and understandable format, while showing that there is nothing strange or abnormal about it.

A good option if you wanted to talk to your child about this topic.

While the first book was about various characteristics of children, this one focuses on the experience of one child — 12-year-old Fedya, who has been blind since birth. "Visible-Invisible" tells how his life is organized, so that other children can better understand how to be friends and communicate with blind peers.

The authors of the book are Dmitry and Tatyana Komissarov, Fedya's parents. Dmitry is a designer and illustrator, Tatyana is a philologist. Through real-life stories, they explain how their son's world is structured and how it differs from the world of sighted people.

How does a blind boy make breakfast? How does he get ready for school? How does he navigate an unfamiliar place? How does he do his homework?

The book answers all these questions, and a child can compare their life with the life of a blind peer.

The authors are particularly successful in showing that Fedya does not live in some "special world that exists solely for him." He does almost everything the same as other children, just a little differently: he memorizes the layout of things at home, navigates by sounds, smells, and the surface under his feet, and listens carefully to what is happening around him.

At the same time, the book does not try to present the main character's life as an endless struggle with difficulties. Fedya often treats his characteristics calmly and even with humor. Sometimes he has to explain things to others that are obvious to him, sometimes he has to ask for help, but the authors pay no less attention to ordinary children's concerns: household chores, school, walks, and socializing with friends. It becomes clear that we are looking not at a "blind boy," but primarily at an ordinary child with his own interests and habits.

The high quality of the publication's design is immediately noticeable — it is not for nothing that a professional art director worked on it. The illustrations are done in a slightly childish style, but mostly resemble the paper cutouts of the French painter Henri Matisse. In the last years of his life, due to health problems, he could not work at an easel and began cutting various shapes out of paper painted with gouache and arranging them into images.

In addition to the illustrations, the stories are well supported by the layout. Each chapter consists of two parts: an introductory text with a general description and the actual stories from the character's life.

There is a lot of breathing room on the pages. Everything looks calm and functional — nothing distracts from the content. It is clear that Dmitry Komissarov approached the book not only as an author, but also as someone who understands that good design should help the reader.

There is also a small interactive element in the book that is sure to interest children. One spread shows letters and numbers in Braille, so you can not only learn how blind people read, but also try to write something yourself.

By the way, blind children do not learn to write the way we are used to. First, they use a special tool to punch dots from right to left, and then they flip the sheet over and read the resulting text from left to right. This is because Braille letters consist of raised dots that must first be pressed out on thick paper from the back side.

This book will be useful for the whole family. It will help children get to know blind peers without awkwardness and prejudice, and it will help adults take a fresh look at many familiar things and better understand how to show empathy.

British writer Jane Kent has written a whole series of books with biographies of outstanding people, including Coco Chanel, Vincent van Gogh, Charles Darwin, and others. In our review is the first-person story of the world-famous British physicist Stephen Hawking. He gained fame for his scientific work in the field of relativity theory and black holes.

The book tells about how the scientist lived — from childhood to the grave (literally) — and fought an illness that did not stop him from following his dream.

You will learn what kind of family Hawking was born into, how he became interested in science, and how he became famous worldwide not only as a physicist but also as a popularizer of science. Among his books is a bestseller that you might have read too — "A Brief History of Time."

Stephen Hawking learned about his motor neuron disease at age 21, while studying at Trinity Hall, Cambridge University. Doctors told him he had two and a half years to live. Realizing how little time was left, the young scientist decided to get his PhD. It is likely to this severe illness that the world owes Hawking's most important discoveries in physics, which he would make in the future. Before the diagnosis, he did not put much effort into his studies.

From the book, readers will learn not only about the scientist's work, discoveries, and popularization of science, but also about his personal life. Many do not know that Hawking was happily married and had three children, and also that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was not his only serious illness. At first, he could still speak, but later he lost his voice. Then programmers from California wrote a program for him so that he could communicate through a computer. Today this sounds simple, but in 1985 such solutions did not yet exist.

Despite being completely paralyzed and expecting an early death, Stephen Hawking continued to do what he loved and managed to leave a mark not only on science but also on culture. He treated his situation with humor, which is why his image appeared in famous animated series, films, and internet memes.

It is a bit strange to read in the first person about how Hawking died and where he was buried. However, his appeal to young readers to value their life as a gift and use it to the maximum benefit makes a very strong impression — as if Hawking is addressing you personally.

Spanish illustrator Isabel Muñoz designed the entire series. Hawking's story is richly illustrated — there are drawings on every page. They are convenient to use to explain the book's content to younger children. The pictures are not extraordinary, but one can note a pleasant color scheme that is easy on the eyes.

In addition to the images accompanying the text, there is a formatted timeline of his biography, which children can use to review what they have read and remember it better. This is followed by a list of questions that can be answered right in the book. Thus, the authors did everything to ensure that the story does not slip out of mind immediately after reading.

The main value of the book lies in the clear example of a person who pursued his dreams, achieved worldwide recognition, inspired a love of science in millions, did not yield to a severe illness, and managed to live a life like no other.

Scientific terms and discoveries are explained here quite simply and, I would even say, superficially, so no one will have trouble understanding them. For example, a black hole is compared to a prison from which no one can escape.

Of course, first-graders might find topics related to physics difficult to understand, but there are not many of them in the book. It can be safely recommended for children from 7 years old for reading together, and for children from 9 years old for independent reading. For parents, I can recommend the biographical film "The Theory of Everything" (2014) starring Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.