kprattos4236's review against another edition
5.0
Assume competence
Let dreamers do
Shake up the systems
Challenge the ‘norm’
MAKE ROOM FOR EVERY TYPE OF PERSON
Let dreamers do
Shake up the systems
Challenge the ‘norm’
MAKE ROOM FOR EVERY TYPE OF PERSON
meezcarrie's review against another edition
5.0
“Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick.”
Oh how I loved the message in this sweet picture book – from the endearing illustrations to the rhyming text that celebrates our differences, this is one I will proudly add to the shelves of children’s books I keep on hand for my nieces and nephew. And, if I may divulge a secret, I enjoy reading them too, even if no nieces or nephews are in sight.
Have I got a story to share with you,
one about sisters named Macy and Tru.
It’s a tale of two girls and one fabulous show,
and you are invited. So come on, let’s go!
Macy and Tru may be sisters but they are delightfully different and they decide to put on a show at the park so they both have a chance to shine. As they make preparations, other children stop by and wonder if they can be part of the show as well… or if their differences will prevent their involvement. A variety of abilities, limitations, backgrounds, and personalities grace these pages, and I love the line that repeats periodically in the text – “Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick.” This is a message my own parents spoke over my younger brother and myself as we were growing up, valuing exactly how God made us, so it made my heart happy to see it being spoken over other children as well.
Heather Avis has written a delightful book, and illustrator Sarah Mensinga perfectly complements the text with her colorful artwork. Macy and Tru are modeled after Avis’s beautifully unique daughters, and each of the other beautifully unique characters in Everyone Belongs are portrayed with value, dignity, and joy Every page made me smile, and children will love the bright colors and the way Mensinga brings the activity to life.
Bottom Line: Everyone Belongs combines Heather Avis’s winsome and embracing text with Sarah Mensinga’s vibrant and endearing illustrations. Through the eyes of Macy and Tru, differences and disabilities are acknowledged but seen as benefits, rather than limitations, and the intrinsic value of each person is praised. It models for children how to make room for and show love to everyone, especially the people who are routinely overlooked by others. “Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick.” And I pick this book to add to my collection!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
Oh how I loved the message in this sweet picture book – from the endearing illustrations to the rhyming text that celebrates our differences, this is one I will proudly add to the shelves of children’s books I keep on hand for my nieces and nephew. And, if I may divulge a secret, I enjoy reading them too, even if no nieces or nephews are in sight.
Have I got a story to share with you,
one about sisters named Macy and Tru.
It’s a tale of two girls and one fabulous show,
and you are invited. So come on, let’s go!
Macy and Tru may be sisters but they are delightfully different and they decide to put on a show at the park so they both have a chance to shine. As they make preparations, other children stop by and wonder if they can be part of the show as well… or if their differences will prevent their involvement. A variety of abilities, limitations, backgrounds, and personalities grace these pages, and I love the line that repeats periodically in the text – “Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick.” This is a message my own parents spoke over my younger brother and myself as we were growing up, valuing exactly how God made us, so it made my heart happy to see it being spoken over other children as well.
Heather Avis has written a delightful book, and illustrator Sarah Mensinga perfectly complements the text with her colorful artwork. Macy and Tru are modeled after Avis’s beautifully unique daughters, and each of the other beautifully unique characters in Everyone Belongs are portrayed with value, dignity, and joy Every page made me smile, and children will love the bright colors and the way Mensinga brings the activity to life.
Bottom Line: Everyone Belongs combines Heather Avis’s winsome and embracing text with Sarah Mensinga’s vibrant and endearing illustrations. Through the eyes of Macy and Tru, differences and disabilities are acknowledged but seen as benefits, rather than limitations, and the intrinsic value of each person is praised. It models for children how to make room for and show love to everyone, especially the people who are routinely overlooked by others. “Exactly who you are is exactly who we pick.” And I pick this book to add to my collection!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
blkgrlreading89's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
bwanroy's review against another edition
4.0
A little heavy on the religion and Jesus-ey stuff but love the main message of inclusiveness and intentionally making room & celebrating all individuals!
themudlarkreview's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book to both of my YREADS classes this week and they loved it from start to finish! This was a great book to tie up our unit on inclusion. When asked “who were the includers in this book and how did they make space for others?” The kids unanimously agreed “Macy and Tru were includers because they made space in the play for everyone!” Would highly recommend this book for educators to read in the classroom at the beginning of the year. (The kids LOVED the illustrations too)!
shalanna's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to be generous with my stars & go for 4 because while I didn't love this book, it is a book worth reading. I loved The Lucky Few & I would have rather hear more about Avis' personal journey rather than be told what I should or shouldn't be doing, thinking or feeling.
I liked some of this book, some of the time. I liked most of this book, most of the time. But I didn't like all of this book all of the time. There were many reasons, but for me, the most glaringly obvious reason that this book did not resonate with me is because I felt it was very one sided. Avis was encouraging everyone to Scoot Over and Make Some Room for differently abled people, but I left this book feeling that her adamant statements about full inclusion wouldn't have left room at her table for families whos journeys don't look like hers; families who were unable to accomplish full inclusion, for whatever reason. It painted a strict picture that felt like she was saying, "This way, and only this way, is the way to raise a child with down syndrome." So you've been raising 2 kids with down syndrome? Doesn't make you an expert on down syndrome, just makes you an expert on YOUR KIDS. It felt judgmental rather than inclusive at times.
I liked some of this book, some of the time. I liked most of this book, most of the time. But I didn't like all of this book all of the time. There were many reasons, but for me, the most glaringly obvious reason that this book did not resonate with me is because I felt it was very one sided. Avis was encouraging everyone to Scoot Over and Make Some Room for differently abled people, but I left this book feeling that her adamant statements about full inclusion wouldn't have left room at her table for families whos journeys don't look like hers; families who were unable to accomplish full inclusion, for whatever reason. It painted a strict picture that felt like she was saying, "This way, and only this way, is the way to raise a child with down syndrome." So you've been raising 2 kids with down syndrome? Doesn't make you an expert on down syndrome, just makes you an expert on YOUR KIDS. It felt judgmental rather than inclusive at times.
fernandie's review against another edition
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
coffeeandtea46's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars that I rounded up to 4. Apologies for the lengthy review ahead, but I've definitely got feelings on this book.
I've followed the Avises for a while now on social media, and I work within the DS community, so I've seen this book allll over the place. Many have recommended it to me, and so when I saw it at my local library, I decided to go for it.
There were many things that I enjoyed about this book! First, I loved Heather's honesty, and her advocacy and commitment to sharing all parts of raising children who are different (both good and bad) were evident in every page. It's clear how passionate she is about making space for others.
I also really appreciated her honest reflections about becoming more racially aware. I think her willingness to call out white privilege and explain how she is learning about systemic racism is so important, and it will help others understand too. So kudos to her there.
Finally, this was a book that had lots of important things to reflect on but was easy to read. I sat down and read it in an afternoon. I think the fact that it is so accessible will help spread its really important message to more people.
The things I didn't enjoy about this book are rooted in mostly personal experiences. First, I found the amount of "Christian-ese" in this book a little off-putting for me. I am so over the phrase "do life", and the number of times I read that in this book was more than I would have liked. (That being said, I'm definitely not the target market for this book; I'm a progressive Christian without kids, so it may not bother someone else.)
The second was her frequent references to the gen ed/special ed situation happening with Macyn's school. I want to start by saying that I understand why this needs to be an important part of the book, and I don't mind that it is a large part of the text. As an educator who specializes in Down Syndrome, I TOTALLY get that this is contentious, and I happen to agree with her that inclusion is best.
But it really got to me the way she kept explaining the situation as her vs. "all the educators who don't believe Macy can do it" (paraphrase mine). This is true in some situations, and I'm not doubting that it is her experience. But this is not true for all educators, and there were times where I felt Heather described the views of educators advocating for special education classrooms as one and the same as those who advocated for institutions 30+ years ago. They are not. Without getting into a full-blown novel about inclusive practices, I think she glosses over the possibility that many students experience non-inclusive "inclusion" at points. Giving a student an aide all day does not inclusion make. This really aggravated me, but again, since I'm not the target market (moms of kids with DS), I can mostly let this go and focus on the good.
If you're looking for easy, actionable steps on how to be more inclusive, I would say this is a good starting point. Just go into realizing that not everyone agrees that these ways are the best ways to "scoot over and make some room."
I've followed the Avises for a while now on social media, and I work within the DS community, so I've seen this book allll over the place. Many have recommended it to me, and so when I saw it at my local library, I decided to go for it.
There were many things that I enjoyed about this book! First, I loved Heather's honesty, and her advocacy and commitment to sharing all parts of raising children who are different (both good and bad) were evident in every page. It's clear how passionate she is about making space for others.
I also really appreciated her honest reflections about becoming more racially aware. I think her willingness to call out white privilege and explain how she is learning about systemic racism is so important, and it will help others understand too. So kudos to her there.
Finally, this was a book that had lots of important things to reflect on but was easy to read. I sat down and read it in an afternoon. I think the fact that it is so accessible will help spread its really important message to more people.
The things I didn't enjoy about this book are rooted in mostly personal experiences. First, I found the amount of "Christian-ese" in this book a little off-putting for me. I am so over the phrase "do life", and the number of times I read that in this book was more than I would have liked. (That being said, I'm definitely not the target market for this book; I'm a progressive Christian without kids, so it may not bother someone else.)
The second was her frequent references to the gen ed/special ed situation happening with Macyn's school. I want to start by saying that I understand why this needs to be an important part of the book, and I don't mind that it is a large part of the text. As an educator who specializes in Down Syndrome, I TOTALLY get that this is contentious, and I happen to agree with her that inclusion is best.
But it really got to me the way she kept explaining the situation as her vs. "all the educators who don't believe Macy can do it" (paraphrase mine). This is true in some situations, and I'm not doubting that it is her experience. But this is not true for all educators, and there were times where I felt Heather described the views of educators advocating for special education classrooms as one and the same as those who advocated for institutions 30+ years ago. They are not. Without getting into a full-blown novel about inclusive practices, I think she glosses over the possibility that many students experience non-inclusive "inclusion" at points. Giving a student an aide all day does not inclusion make. This really aggravated me, but again, since I'm not the target market (moms of kids with DS), I can mostly let this go and focus on the good.
If you're looking for easy, actionable steps on how to be more inclusive, I would say this is a good starting point. Just go into realizing that not everyone agrees that these ways are the best ways to "scoot over and make some room."
supergirljennie's review against another edition
3.0
This book has lots of good messages, but I wasn’t the intended audience. As a fellow parent to a child with Down syndrome, as well as someone actively working on racial understanding, I thought this would speak to me - which it did in many ways. However, the cover gave no indication of how Christian the writing is.