Emily Guerrero

Annotated Bibliography

1. Doering, A. F., & Sorra, K. (2010). My friend has Down syndrome. Mankato, MN:

Picture Window Books.

My Friend Has Down Syndrome is great for students in elementary school and maybe to

early middle school. The narrator talks about the many things about Sarah that she loves.

She even talks about how sometimes other students make fun of here but it's unfair

because we are all a little different. It also includes “fun facts” about those with down

syndrome through the book as well. I think it does a great job of answers any possible

question kids my have about those with down syndrome.

2. Tompkins, L., & Eubanks, R. (2013). Why are you looking at me?: I just have Down

Syndrome. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse.

Why are you looking at me?: I just have Down Syndrome is a book that I think would be

well suited for elementary students. It focuses on how being different is not a bad thing. It

also teaches that at first glance we may seem different from each other but that by

looking beneath the surface we may, in fact, have a lot in common with others.

3. Fleming, V. M., & Cooper, F. (1993). Be good to Eddie Lee. New York: Philomel Books.

Be good to Eddie Lee is an amazing tale that would be great for students in upper

elementary. Throughout the story, Christy’s perception of Eddie Lee changes from

annoying to amazed, by the end she sees him in a brand-new light. I think that this book

expresses a great example of acceptance by experiencing things from a different view.

4. Bodeen, S. A., & DeVito, P. (1998). We’ll paint the octopus red. Bethesda, MD:

Woodbine House.

We’ll paint the octopus red would be a great book for lower elementary level readers, but

as with all the others, the story itself could resonate with anyone of any reading/age

group. This story does an amazing job of focus on the positive by talking about all the

great and amazing things that someone with down syndrome can do. It doesn’t really take

any time to talk about what they may not be able to do because it’s not contusive to do so.
Nick Lawson

1/27/20

Annotated Bibliography

SPED 4340

Steinbeck, J. (2002). Of mice and men. John Steinbeck centennial ed. New York: Penguin Books. (9th-
12th grade)

Mice and Men is about brothers George and Lennie on the run because Lennie tends to cause

trouble when they settle down. Lennie is a big human being but has the mind of an adolescent, Lennie

tends to not understand his strength ultimately hurting what he loves. Throughout the book Lennie has

help from his brother trying to show him boundaries when it comes to getting to close to and object he

finds interesting. This book can help educators because young adults will see there is consequences for

actions when one doesn’t mean for the outcome to happen. This book is great at teaching boundaries to

young adults with MID.

Platt, C., Young, M. O. K., Rey, H. A., & Rey, M. (2019). Curious George joins the team. New York:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (Preschool)

Tina is in a wheelchair and sees kids playing with Curious George in the park and wants to join

them but is to shy. George notices she wants to join so he goes over and asks if she would like to join.

This made Tina extremely happy. Being kind to one another is why this book a teacher can use this book

for any disability. Students when reading this will take notice in being kind and allowing everyone to play

with each other.

Lord, C. (2018). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. (5th-7th grade)
 Catherine has a younger brother David that has autism. Catherine is tried of watching over her

brother and wants to make friends and enjoy being a kid. Catherine eventually becomes friends with

some neighborhood kids. The story continues but Catherine starts to see everybody is different in their

own way and feels bad that she was mean to David. Catherine sees everyone is different in their own

way, nobody is perfect. I feel teachers in these grade levels should have kids read this because it

involves kids without a disability and a kid that does. Students will be able to connect with this story

realizing just because a kid has a special need doesn’t make them that much different then one another.

Bildner, P., & Probert, T. (2016). A whole new ballgame. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. (grade 4th-6th)

Rip and Red are friends in the fifth grade and have a new teacher Mr. Acevedo. This new teacher does

not believe in the typical front and back paper homework and the same tests that everyone takes but

more of open-minded projects. Red having autism starts to have a lot more fun in school now that he

never did well on homework or test but now gets to work with his friend making projects and being

allowed to be creative instead of being cooped up in a class room all the time. Mr. Acevedo is also their

new basketball coach. This book is an eye opener for educators because not every kid does great with

taking notes, taking tests, and homework. Being an educator, we need to find what works best for each

kid. Red having autism you see and feel how he enjoys what he once hated. Students who read this can

bring this to the attention of the educator and maybe start to switch up their teaching styles.
Klaryssa Salinas
Annotated Bibliography
Mild Intellectual Disabilities
Thomas, P., & Harker, L. (2015). Dont call me special: a first look at disability. New
York: Barrons.
Grade level: 2

Don’t Call Me Special is a book over the educational approach for students

with intellectual disabilities. It focuses on the concept that it is not always a

limitation needing special accommodations. The extra instructional support

has sometimes just been an extra push to be way more successful than an

average student. It also mentions that children with disabilities should not be

called special because it is forms that they become excluded making them

look different than everyone else. Another important point is many children

are born with the disability it is not a choice or an option and we should be

accepting and understanding to all because we do not know that persons

story and it is incorrect to make assumptions. Every class should include the

concept of acceptance to all so that children with disabilities do not have to

ever feel different or left out.

Cook, J., & Hartman, C. (2019). My mouth is a volcano! Chattanooga, TN.: National
Center for Youth Issues.
Grade level: 5
The book My Mouth Is A Volcano is about a boy named Louis who has trouble

controlling his thoughts in which he voices them because he believes they are

important. This book made me realize that students with mild intellectual

disabilities (MID) have trouble following or remembering directions. For

example, Louis’s teacher would tell him to raise his hand and wait his turn to

speak yet, he felt like the wait was long and would just blurt out his thoughts

and he was not conscience that it was wrong and this is a perfect example of
Klaryssa Salinas
Annotated Bibliography
Mild Intellectual Disabilities
a academic characteristics for students with MID. Louis also showed

behavioral characteristics, and he demonstrated frustration when the

teacher would choose other students first to speak he felt like the teacher

was more interested in their stories. This demonstrates that Louis lacked

understanding in rules and expectations. This book portrays the academic

and behavioral characteristics for a child with mild intellectual disabilities.

Maguire, A. H., & Bailey, S. (2009). Special people, special ways. Arlington, TX: Future

Horizons, Inc.

Grade level: 3

Special people, special ways is about accepting others and understanding

that we are all unique. Every student has their own way of learning some

learn faster than others and some need more guidance. Some struggle

physically, academically, socially or behaviorally. This book reminds us that

even though some of us need more assistance we all have different strengths

and we should accept each other because we all have different things to offer

to this world.

Shriver, M. (2002). Whats wrong with Timmy? New York: Warner.

Grade level: 4

The book What’s wrong with Timmy? Is a story about a peer of a Timmy who

questions why Timmy is different. Kate mentions that Timmy acts and

behaves differently. Kate’s mother explains to her that we are all different

and we should be accepting of others. This book portrays the view of peers
Klaryssa Salinas
Annotated Bibliography
Mild Intellectual Disabilities
how sometimes they do not understand the concept of a disability. In a

classroom we should read books like such to help them understand that

everyone is unique and how they need to accepting of all.

Schwartz, K. (2016). I wish my teacher knew: how one question can change everything

for our kids. Boston, MA: Da Capo Lifelong Books.

Grade level: 7-12

This book is about an assignment that was given to a classroom; the

assignment included a fill in the blank that read “I wish my teacher knew

____”. This is a very strategic assignment because students with intellectual

disabilities sometimes have trouble voicing their thought or are often shy to

ask for help. When students are scared to ask for help it can hinder their

academic achievement and learning environment. I think that if students

were given this assignment we could early on know what works and what

does not work for them. This will help the teacher know the child more and

will help her know how to prepare for that students academic success.
Juli Backer Annotated Bibliography 1/24/20

Bodeen, S. A., & DeVito, P. (1998). Well paint the octopus red. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine
House.
We’ll Paint the Octopus Red is written from the perspective of Emma an older
sister who has learned that she is going to have a little baby sister or brother. This book is
for students in grades K-3. Emma was used to having her parents to herself the past 6
years, so she was not excited to share them with a new sibling. Her dad tries to reassure
Emma by telling her all about all the things she can do with the baby. Soon Emma has
her own ideas about what she and her new sibling will do together. Emma was eager to
show the baby how to play kick ball, bottle feed calfs on grandpa’s farm, and paint a
picture with a rubber octopus at the art festival. She had even hoped that the sibling and
her could go on an African safari adventure when they were older. When the baby was
born, Emma’s dad told her that her brother, Isaac, was born with Down syndrome. Emma
asked if that meant Isaac could not do all the things, she had hoped to do with him. Her
dad said, “as long as they were patient with Isaac and helped him when he needed it,
there probably was not anything he couldn’t do.” The story ends with Emma whispering
to Isaac that she’ll show him how to paint the octopus. Although Emma was worried, she
would not be able to do everything she had planned with Isaac, her parents helped her
realize that she is able to do all those things. Just because someone has Down Syndrome,
it does not mean that they cannot do everything a typical person can do.

McGovern, C. (2017). A Step Toward Falling. Paw Prints.

A Step Toward Falling relays a story about speaking up for others. Lucas, a
popular football player, is admired by many of the girls, but he does not want to be
known as a jock. Emily is a human activist and prides herself on doing the right thing.
Belinda has a learning disability and spends her time with other students with disabilities.
The adult novel is told from Belinda and Emily’s perspective, and it is for grades 9-12. At
a school game, Emily and Lucas witness something terrible happen to Belinda. Belinda
does not show up to school for the next few weeks. Emily does not want to be blamed but
suspects she knows why Belinda is not at school. She learns Belinda was assaulted, and
Belinda saw that she saw. Belinda also named Lucas as another witness. I would like to
preface with I am not sure that I agree with why and how Lucas and Emily are
reprimanded, but the school suggests the students volunteer at the disabled community
center to learn more about disabilities. The story follows Lucas and Emily’s journey of
going to a weekly class that focuses on helping adults with disabilities maneuver in
relationships. Readers see Belinda attempt to get over what happened to her and how
Emily and Lucas deal with their guilt and the repercussions of what they have done. I like
this book especially because it includes Belinda’s perspective for readers. By the end of
the book, Lucas and Emily see the world differently and are more compassionate and
understanding of others.
Juli Backer Annotated Bibliography 1/24/20

Nicholson, L. S. (2018). A time to run: Stuart and Sam. Toronto: CELA.

A Time to Run: Stuart and Sam is a book for grades 6-10. Stuart is a runner, and
he was born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Stuart runs from competitors,
and he is no stranger to running from trouble. Sometimes it is hard to run from trouble
when you did not know it was there. Sometimes it is hard to know is someone is friend
or foe. Sam is a basketball player with plans to play for a University’s varsity team. That
is until is gets sidelined because of a serious heart condition. Sam struggles to find
solace when he must give up on a large part of his life. He turns his attention toward
helping his good friend Stuart make the track and field team. Now both boys must help
each other figure out when it is a good time to run and when it is a good time to stay.
Martin, A. M. (2014). Best kept secret: the third generation. New York: Scholastic Press.
This book leads readers in grades 4-7 through common, problematic experiences
students may face in todays world. Best Kept Secret is the third book in the series. The
plot concentrates on a girl named Francie’s traumatizing experience of almost being
kidnapped. The experience causes her to become paranoid and fearful. Though this story
is sad and does not relay the best message when it comes to talking about experiences
that bother you, the story also explores Francis navigation through her parent’s divorce
and her father’s subsequent remarriage. The story also watches Francie adjust to living
with an uncle with learning disabilities. Francie did not know about Great Uncle Fred
until he came to live with her. Francie goes to see him at his group home, he beats her at
3 games of checkers. She learns that Fred takes a little longer to do somethings, and there
are somethings that Fred does differently. The book shows Francie learning to see her
Great Uncle Fred as a person not just his condition.

Bosch, A. (2017). Pablo Pineda: being different is a value. Madrid, Spain: Cuento De Luz SL

Pablo Pineda: Being Different is a Value is a true story about the first European
with Down Syndrome to obtain a university degree. This book is for readers in grades K-
5. It touches on some of the concern’s parents have when they first learn their child was
born with Down Syndrome. The illustrations look like they were done in watercolor and
appear more realistic which to me makes the message appear more grown up to its
younger readers. The book demonstrates the role Pablo’s parents played in developing his
charisma and his determination to learn. The book explains how it can be difficult to get
not only other kids but adults to accept Pablo. Readers see how good educators helped
Pablo have an education that did not have the restrictions others would expect. The book
navigates through different periods of Pablo’s life and exposes how down syndrome
Juli Backer Annotated Bibliography 1/24/20

affected the way other people saw him. This book ends with all the different avenues
Pablo has been able to explore after his education. The story evokes a sense of unity
because it shows how we all have abilities and things we do not do as well, but it is the
effort we put into overcoming our obstacles that should define us, not the obstacles
themselves.