The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade

Author: Justin Roberts

Recommended Grade Levels: Kindergarten through
Second

Influence. Community. Change. This book focuses on

a student with a differing physical attribute and the
influence she has. Sally is shorter than average and often
goes unnoticed in the school environment, but she
notices everything. Sally sees the way others and
treating each other and decides that things need to
change. Sally takes a sand and tells her classmates that of
the negative behaviors she has been noticing. After Sally
speaks up, the actions she notices start to change.
Students began acting friendly and caring about one
another.

Evaluation
This book is a good example of presenting disabilities to students. The main character in this
story has a different physical attribute to what is considered normal. Throughout the story, she is
reflected as an influential individual. According to the article, Ten Quick Ways to Analyze
Childrens Books for Ableism this text is appropriate to use for this subject. In the article, it
states that characters with disabilities should be shown in a leadership role. In this book, the
character leads a community wide change. The character even uses her differences to her
advantage and the advantage of others. She notices details and events that she can then make
others aware of.

Recommended Use
I would recommend sharing this book through a group read aloud. Read alouds are a good way
to communicate and discuss complex topics with younger students. Following the read aloud I
would guide a discussion between the students to help connect the reading to personal
experiences. During this discussion, I would have the students consider some of their own
attributes and how they could use them to make a difference. In addition to a discussion, I would
give the students the opportunity to express themselves through a piece of creative art. I would
make a variety of supplies available for the students and ask them to create a representation of
what makes them unique.

Standards
SOLs Essential Health Concepts
2.1.l. Define self-image, and identify that individuals are unique
This activity teaches students to embrace what makes them different and express themselves
through it.
 Just Because
Author: Rebecca Elliott
Recommended Grade Levels: Preschool and Kindergarten

Love. Acceptance. Adventure. This is a story about the

relationship between a brother and a sister. A young
brother describes all the things he does with his older
sister. He talks about the things that she likes and does not
like. He accepts that things are this way just because.
As the story unfolds the reader learns that the sister is an
individual who is in a wheelchair due to a disability. The
reader can also see how this factor has no influence over
the brother affection. The siblings spending their time
planning adventures and telling stories. At the end of the
story the brother reveals that he loves his sister, just because.

Evaluation
This book is a great representation of equality for individuals with disabilities. The book is
focused on the strong relationship between the siblings and not the sisters disability. This shows
the reader that the differences of the sister do not define her as a person. According to the article
Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Ableism, analyzing the pictures along with the
text is also important when selecting books with diverse topics. In this story, the sister is in a
wheelchair due to her disability, but the illustrations in the book do not show or focus on this.
The brother even refers to her as having a magical chair that they used as a rocket to take to
space. Throughout the other illustrations, the sister is usually not shown in her chair, but
spending time with her brother. This makes the message in the story the focus and not the fact
that the character has a disability.

Recommended Use
I would recommend sharing this book with students as a read aloud with a follow-up activity.
Having a read aloud will allow all the students to experience the message in the text. After the
students have read I would create an activity for them to complete. I would design a template
with the following statement I like ____ about ____ just because. Students would then fill in
the first blank with the name of someone in their life and the second blank with a characteristic
of that individual. I would then allow the students to draw a picture of what they wrote in their
sentence. This activity would help the students connect the message in the story to their own
personal experience. They would be able to recognize differences but also appreciate them.

Standards
Virginia Foundation Blocks 4
f) Begin to recognize and respond to the needs, rights, and emotions of other
For this activity, it would also include recognizing the different attributes of others.
 My Brother Charlie
Authors: Holly Robinson Peete, Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Denene
Millner
Recommended Grades: Second and Third

Personal. Awareness. Support. The author of this story

collaborated with her daughter to tell the story of her son,
Charlie, who was diagnosed with autism. The story is about
how the family learns to communicate and interact together.
Charlie has autism and is described as having a brain that works
in a special way. He enjoys the same activities as other
students, such as playing the piano and learning about airplanes.
Charlie does struggle to make friends and tell others how he
feels. In the story his sister is very admiring of Charlie and tells
him often that she loves him. She says that Charlie does not
know how say he loves her back, so he shows it through his actions. This is a personal story of a
family that is learning to adjust and support someone the love through their words and actions.

Evaluation
It is important the books covering topics of diverse subjects are represented in an accurate way.
In reference to the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism, books that
have authors or illustrates with background in the topic often produce more creditable works.
For this book, the author is writing about a personal experience that occurred within her own
family. For the reason the story is presented in a respectful and very real manner. The book
focus on how to support individuals with disabilities but it also talks about how it affects others
around them. In the story, it shows how the family adjusts and learns to handle a new situation.
Since this book is based off personal events and written about a real situation, it is a good text to
use in teaching about this subject.

Recommendations
I would recommend reading this story to a group and having it available for students to read
independently. Since this book is on a higher reading and comprehension level students in older
grade levels could read it own their own. This book has a lot of information that explains
disabilities to students and how they affect people. It should be used as a resource of students
who have questions on this topic. An activity could also be created to go along with one of the
concepts in the book. One of the points is how the family communicates through their actions.
Students could be asked to write about a way that they show individuals in their life that the love
them by using their actions. This activity would also help students learn communication skills
and social skills.

Standards
SOLs Essential Health Concepts
3.1.s. Identify positive ways to communicate and the benefits of having positive
relationships with family and friends
This activity focus on using communication skills to build positive relationships either through
words or actions.
 Back to Front and Upside Down
Author: Claire Alexander
Recommended Grades: Third and Fourth

Learning. Courage. Persistence. This book focuses

on learning disabilities, specifically dyslexic and how
it effects students. The story about a young puppy,
Stanley, who is beginning to learn how to write while
he is in school. As the whole class is writing, Stanley
notices that his letters and words appeared mixed up.
He begins to panic and worry that others will start to
notice his struggles. A friend encourages Stanley to
ask for help, by telling him that not everyone is good at everything. Stanley asks for help and
begins practicing his letters even more with extra help. After time, Stanleys letters and writing
greatly improves.

Evaluation
This book is a good example of how to introduce students to the acceptance of learning abilities.
According to the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism for stories to
be effective they should include acceptance as a teachable moment. In the story, Stanley is
ashamed and afraid to ask for help. His friend encourages him to and tells assures him that is
learning abilities do not affect him as an individual. This is an important concept for students to
learn in order to help themselves or another classmate. Students should know that it is okay to
ask for help when it is needed, and that receiving help does not make them any less capable.
This book address this because Stanley receives support from others, but is still able to help
himself improve.

Recommendation
I would recommend having this book as a resource to students at their literacy center. This book
is one that students could look through on their own that also includes some concepts about print.
Students could read this book as they are beginning to write so that while they are learning the
process they know it is okay to ask for help at any time. An activity that could go along with this
story could be a corresponding writing project. The character in the story is writing birthday
cards, so the students could also write cards. Students could even be encouraged to write a card
to Stanley about how he had learned to write. This will help the students make connections to
the story and develop writing and reading skills.

Standards
SOLs Writing
3.9.a Identify the intended audience
For the recommended activity, when writing the letter, the intended audience would be Stanley.
 Moses Goes to the Circus
Author: Isaac Millman
Recommended Grades: Preschool and Kindergarten

Language. Interactive. Enjoyable. This story is

about a family who goes to visit the circus. The boy
in the story is deaf, and during their time at the circus
he tries to each his sisters some of the signs that
represent what they see. The story shows how
everyone was able to enjoy the circus despite their
different experiences with it. Each page in the book
also includes sign language translations through
pictures. This interactive book makes the story more
engaging and enjoyable for the audience.

Evaluation
This book is unique because it highlights a main
character who is hearing impaired. Characters who
fall under this category are underrepresented in
childrens literature. It is also a good example to share with students. The family in the story are
partaking in a normal event that other families would attend together. This shows that the
character is no different, despite their exceptionality. This is an important factor to recognize
according to the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism, because it
represents a lifestyle outside of the characters disability. This book is also a good resource
because it includes translations of the text by incorporating sign language picture. This goes
beyond the message in the book by also giving students an educational language tool.

Recommendation
I recommend using the book as a reading to a small group with a follow-up activity about
language. In the book, the brother is showing his sister signs that represent the things they see at
the circus. After reading the book, the students could complete an activity where they get to
practice the signs themselves. Students could refer to the pages of the books that have the
translation. They could be given pictures of some of the things the characters saw at the circus,
along with the signs for them. They could practice the sign and then color the matching pictures.
This would not only teach students about disability awareness but also a new language skill.

Standards
Virginia Foundation Block 6
b) Demonstrate the use of print to convey meaning
For this activity, the students will be looking at the print pictures of sign language and
interpreting what they represent.
 The Five of Us
Author: Quentin Blake
Recommended Grade: First through Third
Teamwork. Individualities. Appreciation. This story
is about a group of five friends that go on a trip
together. It does not classify any of the characters as
having a disability, but instead focuses on all their
abilities. Each of the friends has a special skill that
they excel at. Angie has great vision, Ollie has great
hearing, Simona and Mario are super strong and Eric
has a loud voice. While on their trip, the bus driver has
an accident and needs help. The five friends work
together using their skills to get the driver the help he
needs. They view each other based on all the things
that they can do and appreciate each individual
attribute.

Evaluation
This book has a good message for students because it
presents individuals with differences as being the heroes of the story. As the article Ten Quick
Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism mentions, it is important that this image is
included in diverse texts. Even without it being acknowledge directly in the story, the characters
have differences. Regardless, they are the ones that save the day by using the skills they are
good at. This story has a positive influence on focusing on what can be done over what cannot.

Recommendations
I would recommend reading this story before having students partake in a role play situation.
The students could hear about how each of the students use their abilities to help someone else.
After the students have read the story, divide them into groups of five friends. Read the
children a scenario similar to the one in the story, presenting a problem that the students must
work together to solve. Have the students discuss the skills that they are good at and could
contribute to solving the problem. The students can create a plan to resolve the situation by
incorporating everyones individual skills. This activity would allow the students to focus on the
concepts of what others and themselves can do as opposed to what they cannot do.

Standards
SOLs Social Development
3.4.c Describe the importance of cooperating and working cooperatively with
peers to achieve a goal
This activity focus on children working together to resolve a situation by contributing their
individual skills.
 A Boy and a Jaguar
Author: Alan Robinowitz
Recommended Grades: First and Second

Passionate. Dedicated. Improvement. This

book was written by an author about his own
experience with a disability. The story is
about a young boy who struggles with a
stutter when he speaks. The only time he
feels comfortable speaking is to the lone
jaguar at the Bronx Zoo. He visits there
often to promise the jaguar that he will make
things better one day. As the boy gets older
he learns techniques to manage his stutter
but still does not feel complete. He travels to Brazil to do research on jaguars and to keep his
promise on making a difference. Only does he feel complete when he is able to help save the
jaguars which in the past had helped him.

Evaluation
When covering material that talks about the topics of disabilities it is important to look at the
authors background and experience. As mentioned in the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze
Childrens Books with Ableism, this can make the information a more accurate depiction. This
book was written by an author about his own personal experience. The focus on his story is
about how he found something he was passionate about and used that to overcome his
differences. This is a powerful message to send to children as they realize that they can also
overcome obstacles to reach their goals. This text is about an individual with a disability but the
message is one of possibilities. It represents an individual with an exceptionality as being
successful and a positive influence.

Recommendation
I recommend reading this book the classroom in a whole group setting, and have the students
predict the outcome. Incorporate follow-up activity that connects the reading to real life events.
Since the story is based off a real experience the students could learn more about the individual
that the character represents. There are videos of the author talking about his personal
experiences overcoming a stutter and his work with the jaguars. Students could watch one of
these videos, reflect, and then create their own story books. Students could write or draw
pictures about what they want to be when they grow up and predict any challenges they think
they might have to overcome. This personal reflection would allow students to think about their
own passions and attributes.

Standards
SOLs Reading
1.9.d Make and confirm predictions
This lesson challenges students to make predictions about the text, and about their own
challenges as they create their own story.
 Dan and Diesel
Authors: Charlotte Hudson and Lindsey Gardiner
Grade Level: Kindergarten through Second

Companionship. Bond. Senses. This story is told

through the narration of a young boy about his
brother, Dan, his and companion dog. Dan is blind
but does everything with his dog Diesel, a they
experience the world together. They say that
together they can conquer the world. One day,
Dan and Diesel become separated. The world
becomes a loud and lonely place for Dan. The
world becomes a dark and sad place for Diesel.
Without each other, they cannot experience the
world. The pair is shortly reunited again, and they
continue their experiences that connect senses with
feelings.

Evaluation
This book is unique because it highlights a vision impaired disability as well as one of the
services used. As mentioned in the Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism
article, books that include characters with a disability should have positive and respected
language. The language in this text was inclusive and sent a powerful message to the readers.
Throughout the story, it is mentioned that together Dan and Diesel can conquer the world.
This language focuses on possibilities and experiences that this pair has despite exceptionalities.
The illustrations also contribute to the language in the book, as the convey messages of feelings
and emotions. This story talks about not only seeing the world but getting to experience it.

Recommendation
I would recommend reading this story to a small group and then having students reflect on in
through a creative art activity. In the story, Diesel sees the world through his eyes, but Dan
experiences the world through sounds and feelings. When Dan is alone, his representation of the
world is just words that represent words. When Diesel is alone his world has no color, or
feeling. Have students reflect on how Dans exceptionality changes his perceptions and then
think about their own perceptions. Have the students draw or write representations of how they
see the world. They can focus on their senses and their feelings as representations. This
experience will allow students to learn about concepts of emotions and how they can be
represented through images.

Standards
SOLs Reading
1.10.d. Identify text features such as pictures, headings, charts, and captions
For this activity, students will be focusing more on pictures and the meaning that they convey.
 All My Stripes
Authors: Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer
Grade Level: First through Third

Unique. Features. Recognition. This story is about

young Zane the zebra and the challenge he faces at
school because he has autism. This makes it harder Zane
to make friends and do things the same way as the other
children. Zane is upset and wants to fit in. He wants
people to notice him for more than just his autism strip.
When Zane gets upset his mother tells him about how all
his stripes are special. He has an honesty stripe, a caring
stripe, and a piloting stripe. Without all these stripes
Zane would not be who he really is. After talking with
his mom, Zane learns to love himself for how he is
unique. He also comes to appreciate all his other features
that are just as special.
Evaluation
This is a good book to share with students who have an exceptionality as well as with those who
dont. It teaches students to accept their differences and to be proud of them. As the article Ten
Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism mentions, characters depicted in these
forms of text should have dimension. They should not just be seen as the disability that they
have. This book is an example of a character that has depth and meaning. It shows that an
individual is not their disability, but a lot of attributes that come together. It turns this message
into a visual that is easy for students to relate to. The stripes on the zebra become a metaphor for
all the unique characteristics that an individual has.

Recommendation
I would recommend reading this book as a whole class and then engaging students with a follow-
up activity. For the activity, students could be given a picture of a zebra without their stripes.
Students could then draw stripes on the zebra however they wanted. They could name their
stripes by saying which personal characteristic of themselves each strip represents. Students
could even be encouraged to share their zebras with the class. This would help individuals begin
to recognize the individualities about themselves as well as others. It would also create a
personal visual that connects to the one presented in the story.

Standards
2.1.l. Define self-image, and identify that individuals are unique
For this activity students are challenged to reflect on themselves and what makes them unique.
They are also recognizing the characteristics of others and what makes them special too.
 Max the Champion
Authors: Sean Stockdale, Alexandra Strick
Recommended Grades: First and Second

Goals. Accomplishment. Inclusion. This story is about

a boy named Max who dreams about competing in
sports. It is revealed that Max has physical disabilities
that make it more challenging for him to compete. Max
finally gets the opportunity to participate in a football
match with some other team members. Some members
of Maxs team also have disabilities and others do not.
They all work together to win the World Cup for their
achievements. This text shows a wide range of abilities
all interacting together.

Evaluation
This book is a great way to get students thinking about different abilities and interacting with
others. As the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism states,
individuals with disabilities should be depicted in an inclusive environment. They should be
shown in situations where they are involved and accepted by others. This book is a good
example of this because it has students of all abilities working together. The book does not
isolate the individuals with exceptionalities but has them become part of regular activities and
events.

Recommendation
I would recommend reading this book to the class and then have them compete in a game similar
to the one shown in the book. I would divide the students in to groups where they would be
challenged to work together to complete a certain task. For example, students could partake in a
relay race. They would have to work together to move all the balls from one end of the room to
the other. This activity would give students the opportunity to have the same experience
highlighted in the story. No matter the strengths or skills of the student they would all be
included in an engaging event.

Standards
SOLs Social Development
3.4.c Describe the importance of cooperating and working cooperatively with
peers to achieve a goal
In this activity, all the students would work together in an inclusive activity to reach a goal by
contributing their individual strengths.
 Read Aloud Reflection

Incorporating diverse childrens literature into the classroom is essential to exposing

students to the practices of inclusion. Many topics in diversity are complex and hard to present

to students at a younger level. Sharing this information through a story is an influential way to

help students connect to these ideas. For my topic, I chose to focus on disabilities. I chose

disabilities because it is something that the children are aware of differences that they see in the

classroom. To make this topic more understanding and accepted for students I wanted to present

the ideas through the form of text.

The book I used for my read aloud was, The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade. I chose

this book specifically because it talked about the influence and power that all individuals possess

to make a positive difference. While reading this story I had the children make connections

within the illustrations as well as predict outcomes during the climax. At the end of the reading,

I guided a group discussion about how the characters differences did not affect her ability to

make a change, it even made it more influential. I guided the group in a discussion about how

they could also use what makes them difference to create a change. The students shared some of

their ideas and it was clear they understood the basic concepts of the text. They talked about

taking actions such as sharing, using manners and kinds words, smiling, and playing with

everyone. These examples showed some concepts of inclusion because they wanted to make

connections with everyone.

The story I read shared a lot of the recommendations listed in the article Ten Quick Ways

to Analyze Childrens Books with Ableism. The focus was on multicultural education and

creating an inclusive environment for students to learn in. It depicted an individual with

exceptionalities as a hero, who was able to change things for the better. The character was the
leader in the book and was respected and admired for the differences that was made. It had an

inclusive meaning that everyone needs to be accepting and respectful towards one another.

These were many of the main themes of disabilities that have been discussed in the course. This

story provided a clear overview that was easy for the students to relate to.

As a future educator, this experience taught me how effective lessons on diverse subjects

can be when presented through a story. Books provided the ideal outlet to start discussions and

share information about complex subjects. They present material in a relatable way that the

children can understand. The books I collected in the process will all be contributing to my

classroom literacy sources. To insures social justice, it is important to included multiple books

that depict diversity in all topic areas. These books are sometimes hard to find and they need to

be review to see if they are appropriately covering the topic.

This experience also showed me how excepting young children are. All my student were

willing and excited to be practicing the ideas we had discussed. This made the lesson easier to

teach and explain. They just needed examples to follow that text can provide. Incorporating

these texts in the classroom at every opportunity, gives students the change to develop and better

understand of a concept they are so eager to implement.

References

Myers , C., & Bersani, H., Jr. (2008). 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Ableism.