all my stripes: a story for children with autism written by shaina rudolph & danielle royer and illustrated by jennifer zivoin & alison singer

Royer, Danielle, and Shaina Rudolph. All my Stripes: A Story for Children with Autusim, Illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin and Alison Singer. Washington D.C.: Magination Press, 2015. ISBN: 9781433819179

Plot Summary:
     Zane is a zebra who attends school but is self-conscious about his schoolmates only noticing his Autism stripe. He endures so many ventures in school; however, he doesn't endure them like all of the other children. When the fire alarm goes off, the noise is too loud. When he's in art class and has to paint, he doesn't want the paint to get on his hooves. After all of these instances, Zane finds comfort in his mother's words to endure the events that occur in his everyday life of being a student.

Critical Analysis:
     All My Stripes is a children's picture book that depicts certain aspects of autism. The authors, Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer, do an excellent job by using parallelism through the stripes of a zebra. Zane the zebra is a child in class who feels as if everyone only sees his autism; however, his mother assures him that there is more to him than that. The authors incorporate some of the characteristics of autism such as sensitivity and fear to abrupt noises, creating new elements, and a sensitivity to getting messy. By including these aspects, readers are provided with understanding of some of the things that differ in autistic people. The authors also collaborate with Jennifer Zivoin who provides beautiful illustrates to coincide with the story. They demonstrate symbolism by using the different stripes of a zebra as character traits, as well as explaining through illustration and context the importance of why everyone is different. The authors and illustrator do a beautiful job of explaining autism to not only autistic children, but to those who may not know what it entails.

Review Excerpts:

"Does your child feel different from or misunderstood by his or her peers? If so, he or she will relate to Zane, an adorable zebra who is having a hard day at school. From not wanting to get paint on his hooves during an art project, to being overwhelmed by the sound of the fire alarm to having trouble socializing with his classmates, Zane is having a tough time fitting in. “How come all anyone sees is my autism stripe?!” he asks his mama, who explains that we all have many different stripes that make us unique and special. Zane, for instance, has a pilot strip, a caring stripe, an honesty stripe and a curiosity stripe, to name a few. Zane realizes all of his stripes—including his autism stripe—make him who he is, and he loves each one. Authors Rudolph and Royer have created an endearing story about a zebra on the autism spectrum and the common sensory and social difficulties that leave some children feeling upset, sad and frustrated. They show Zane trying to process situations that are common for children. A story of empowerment, Zane shows how we can accept our differences, and learn to embrace our unique attributes, and thrive. Zivoin brings this cute zebra to life with endearing illustrations in vibrant colors. A reading guide discusses Zane’s dialogue and actions in the story. A note to parents and caregivers discusses diagnosis and treatment.This story is a wonderful teaching tool for initiating a helpful dialogue about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)." - Children's Literature

"Rudolph and Royer shine a light on the autism spectrum, but go a step further and show how endearing, unique and beautiful the children are in this inspiring story about embracing differences." - Children's Books Heal

Connections:
Customers who bought this book also purchased My Brother Charlie, Understanding Sam, and Since We're Friends.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if there's anything that makes them special or unique.
• Educate children on Autism and what it's like for a child with Autism. 
• Ask children if they have ever felt left out from their peers and why, and allow them to suggest ways that they would've included those who were left out.

i am jazz written by jazz jennings & jessica herthel and illustrated by shelagh mcnicholas

Herthel, Jessica, and Jazz Jennings. I Am Jazz, Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014. ISBN: 9780803741072

Plot Summary:
     Jazz Jennings is just like any other adoolescent girl. Her favorite colors are pink and green, she likes makeup, and she loves to dance. One thing that sets Jazz apart from her peers in school is that she was born in a boy's body with a girl's brain. Being diagnosed as transgender, Jazz's family begins to understand and accept her being a girl and allows her to live her life as such.

Critical Analysis:
     I Am Jazz is a children's picture book that tells the story of Jazz Jennings, the youngest publicly documented person to be identified as gender dysphoric. The author, Jessica Herthel, collaborates with Jazz Jennings as her co-author. By co-authoring with Jazz herself, the story is told through Jazz's eyes. Jazz is a child who tells her story about how she's always known that she was born with a girl's brain in a boy's body. By allowing Jazz to tell her own story, she adds a simplicity to understanding the complexity in gender dysphoric.
     Not only do the authors share the story of Jazz through context, but they strengthen her story with illustrations. The illustrator, Shelagh McNicholas, conveys each emotion that Jazz describes accurately. During the story where the authors state, "Be who you are. We love you no matter what," Shelagh illustrates Jazz with a huge smile on her face. Not only does she demonstrate facial accuracy, but she also subtly shows the physical transition that Jazz goes through from boy to girl. The details in these instances allow readers to understand the basics of transgender people.

Review Excerpts:

"This enlightening autobiographical picture book tells the story of a transgender child who knew from the time she was two that despite her physical body she wasn't really a boy. Young Jazz was passionate about her love of mermaids, dancing, dress-up, and pop stars, as well as her conviction that her gender identity was female. Readers are taken through her journey with upbeat, pink-hued watercolor illustrations that are a good complement to the cheerful tone and positive message of the story ("I don't mind being different. Different is special! I think what matters most is what a person is like inside."). Joining the ranks of new books targeted at young children that examine gender roles, such as Ian and Sarah Hoffman's Jacob's New Dress (Albert Whitman, 2014), this title highlights a topic that has not been well represented in children's literature in an uplifting and empowering way. Jazz's explanation of what transgender means ("I have a girl brain but a boy body") is somewhat simplified. However, for those looking to introduce the concept to young readers or those seeking books that value differences, this illustrated memoir is a solid choice." - School Library Journal

"An autobiographical picture book describes trans-youth activist Jazz Jennings' story of embracing and asserting her transgender identity.Both the title and the opening text proclaims, "I am Jazz!" The book goes on to detail Jazz's various interests and tastes, which follow traditionally feminine gender norms. But as Jazz goes on to explain, she has "a girl brain but a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way!" Although the realistic watercolor illustrations consistently display only happy faces in these beginning pages, the text recounts her family's struggle to understand her early-childhood assertion of femininity: "At first my family was confused. They'd always thought of me as a boy." Jazz recalls her pain when compelled to wear "boy clothes" in public. "Pretending I was a boy felt like telling a lie." Her parents' efforts to understand prompt them to meet with a doctor who introduces the word "transgender," which enables the family's powerful affirmation: "We understand now. Be who you are. We love you no matter what." The story balances this acceptance with honest acknowledgement of others' ongoing confusion and intermittent cruelty, and it briefly addresses Jazz's exclusion from girls' soccer in her state. Ultimately, Jazz's self-acceptance, bolstered by her family's support and advocacy, acts as a beacon for readers, trans- and cisgender alike.An empowering, timely story with the power to help readers proclaim, in the words of Jazz's parents, 'We understand now.'" - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who purchased this book also purchased the following titles: Jacob's New Dress, My Princess Boy, and It's Okay to Be Different.

Interactivity:

• Ask boys if they have ever played with a doll or wore the color pink. Ask girls if they have ever worn pants or wore the color blue.
• Educate children on the importance of accepting people on who they are.
• Facilitate a discussion encouraging children to ask questions and help them understand the trans- community.

does my head look big in this? written by randa abdel-fattah

 

Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does My Head Look Big In This. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008. ISBN: 9780439922333

Plot Summary:
     Amal is an Australian-Palestinian teenage girl who faces everyday teenage dilemmas but with an addition -- discrimination due to her decision of wearing the hijab. Amal makes the conscious decision to wear the hijab as a testament to her faith. However, she is overwhelmed with, both, negative and positive attention on her decision.

Critical Analysis:
     Does My Head Look Big In This is a novel that details the decision of a teenage girl to wear the hijab at her new school. The author, Randa Abdel-Fattah, allows Amal to tell her own story providing her audience with a first person point of view. Through this usage, the audience is able to experience the impact and education as Amal embraces her culture and religion among Western culture. Randa does a good job of incorporating interlingualism such as Yallah, fajr, and wudah. Not only does she incorporate these words, but she provides her readers with their meanings.
     The author does an exceptional job delivering the details of the everyday life that Amal entails. She vividly describes Amal's day-to-day occurrences in a manner that reaches her audience. More specifically, within the first five chapters Amal details how she makes her decision to wear the hijab; she details that she writes a list of people who would accept her decision; she details how on her first day of school, how her principle reacted; and she also details how her teacher reacts to her seeking permission for prayer in the afternoon. All of these descriptions provide readers with a varying perspective on her religion and what it entails, as well as some of the hesitation that she feels due to her assumptions on the people around her.

Review Excerpts:

"With an engaging narrator at the helm, Abdel-Fattah's debut novel should open the eyes of many a reader. Headstrong and witty, 16-year-old Amal, an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian ("That means I was born an Aussie and whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens") decides during winter break from her posh private school that she's ready to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, fulltime, as a testament to her faith. Amal knows she will face discrimination by classmates and misinformed people but she is committed to her decision; her parents are initially concerned, but ultimately rally behind her. Their worries, in fact, are well-founded: Amal attracts her share of stares and taunts both at school and around town, but she finds strength, not only from her convictions, but from her close-knit group of friends, who for various reasons-being Japanese, Jewish, nerdy or body-conscious-are perceived as being outside "the norm." As Amal struggles with her identity in a post-9/11 world ("Do you have any idea how it feels to be me, a Muslim, today? I mean, just turn on the television, open a newspaper.... It feels like I'm drowning in it all"), her faith-and an array of ever-ready quips-help her navigate an often-unforgiving world. Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason." - Publishers Weekly

"The sight of Jennifer Aniston in a bridesmaid's dress creates an urge to change the channel for most viewers, but for witty, academically talented Amal Abdel-Hakim, it inspires the confidence to wear the hijab full time. As a Pakistani Australian Muslim, she has been teased about her religion, but in her decision to wear the hijab, she also has the support of loyal friends and her loving parents. Armed with fashion sense as well as faith, Amal sets out to match her hijab to her school clothes and modify her weekend wardrobe to flatter her assets as well as to express her belief in modesty. Not everyone is so accepting of her hijab, however. Classmates at her private high school ask her what she knows about terrorism, and a cranky neighbor makes no effort to hide her prejudices. Throughout the book, Amal makes candid yet astute observations on what it means to be a Muslim, a modern woman, and a good friend and daughter. Although the book addresses many teen issues including identity, family, religious traditions, and body image, it rarely strays into the realm of didactic. There is plenty of gentle humor, and strong female relationships balance Amal's racist classmates and a friend's crushingly traditional Muslim parent. In addition to her friendships, Amal also tries to deal with a crush that she knows will never develop into a romance and the hypocritical behaviors of some of her cousins. This novel is an excellent addition to the multicultural and chick-lit genres, and it is recommended for most collections." - VOYA

"An "Australian-Muslim-Palestinian" teen opts to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time, embarking on a courageous exercise in self-understanding. Sixteen-year-old Amal attends an elite prep school in a Melbourne suburb. Poised to begin the third term of 11th grade, Amal admits, "it's hard enough being an Arab Muslim at a new school," but "shawling up is just plain psychotic." Determined to prove she's strong enough to "wear a badge of my faith," Amal faces ostracism and ridicule as she dons her hijab with both good humor and trepidation. Supported by her parents, Amal spurns racial epithets like "towel head" and discovers her friends still accept her for who she is, not what she wears. As the term progresses, Amal's friends face their own issues of self-worth while her faith is tested when she falls in love with a non-Muslim classmate. Wearing the hijab full-time shuts some doors, but opens others for Amal as she emerges a bright, articulate heroine true to herself and her faith. Abdel-Fattah's fine first novel offers a world of insight to post-9/11 readers." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also bought the following books: Ten Things I Hate About Me, Dreamrider, Ready or Not.

Interactivity:

• Ask children have they ever been mocked for something that is normal to them and their family i.e. religion, sexual orientation, race, etc...
• Facilitate a discussion surfaced around the notion of not associating one race with terrorism.
• Ask children what are some physical religious practices they've seen i.e. Ash Wednesday, hijab, not eating pork, etc...