Sep 21, 202010 min read

Differences Make Us Who We Are

This week I fell in love with the two books I got to read! I read Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, written by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Rafael López and A Boy Called BAT written by Elana K. Arnold with pictures by Charles Santoso. These two books talk about invisible and visible differences that people face. Both of these books show that learning or physical disabilities do not make up an individual's identity, it is just another part of what makes them unique.

Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You Summary:

Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, written by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Rafael López, follows a young girl and her friends planting a garden. At the beginning the grass has a yellow tint to it, almost showing the reader that there is not a lot of diversity yet. Sonia begins the story by talking about how wonderful gardens are and how every plant, flower, or even berry needs to be taken care of in a way that fits their needs. Some plants need more light than others and some need more water than others. The plants need different things to help them grow and function in the garden, just like how her friends need different tools to help them!

The story shows how all her friends need different tools to help them be able to participate. Sonia needs insulin shots to help her stay healthy. Rafael also takes medicine to help him breathe easier through his inhaler because he has asthma. Anthony uses a wheelchair to help him get from one place to another, just like how Madison and Arturo use a seeing eye dog and a cane to get around because they are blind! This book shows many more kids with different needs and abilities. But they all have one thing in common: they like to ask questions instead of assuming things about one another. By asking questions they can learn more about each other and what to do to be a better friend and ally.

Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You Reflection:

While reading Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, I felt extremely happy. I wished I had a book like this when I was younger because it would have shown me that my disability is not something I should hide because it is a part of me. I love how every child was able to embrace their disability and show how they have to do some things differently but that makes them more comfortable and able to do the task at hand. This book can be a window or a mirror for students. There will be students in your class who have allergies, asthma, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, ect, and will connect to this book on a personal level. Even students without these kinds of disabilities can learn how to ask appropriate questions to their classmates with disabilities in an appropriate way, instead of assuming or avoiding them. Just Ask is a perfect book to create a safe space for talking about disabilities and asking questions.

I know I would have loved to have seen this book when I was younger. I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when I was in the seventh-grade, but started to notice a difference in the way my body felt and looked when I was ten-years-old. My hands did not look like everyone else's. I was super self conscious about how my hands and fingers looked because it felt like I had old people hands. My fingers were fat, bent, and deformed. I also noticed that I could not stand for as long as other people because my back would start hurting a lot, my ankles were always swollen, and I just felt different. However, I have learned that I sometimes have to do things a little different than my peers. I may have to sit down in some situations rather than stand or even ask for help opening a ziplock bag because I cannot bend my fingers a certain way. This does not make me weak at all! It just means I have to do things differently!

Just Ask! Has also been published in Spanish!

https://www.lindentreebooks.com/solo-pregunta.html

A Boy Called BAT Summary:

A Boy Called BAT, written by Elena K. Arnold with pictures by Charles Santoso, is a wonderful story about a young boy named Bixby Alexander Tan, or BAT. He went by BAT for a few reasons, one being those are the initials of his name. He also liked to wear his sisters earmuffs to block out noises that were too loud and he flapped his arms when he got excited or frustrated, which made him look like a bat. BAT has Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is never stated in the book because the author does not want that to become BAT’s whole identity, because it is not. BAT’s mom is a veterinarian and brings home a baby kit one day and BAT is hooked on wanting to be the skunk’s caregiver until it is time to release him into the wild.

His mom explains how they will only be keeping him for three weeks until the animal professionals can take him and BAT’s sister thinks that is a good idea because she does not want to get sprayed. But BAT does not like that idea, he wants to keep the kit until the skunk is ready to be released. This story follows BAT’s plan to convince his mom to let him keep the skunk, while also showing elements of sibling rivalry, divorced parents, friendship and growing up.

A Boy Called BAT Reflection:

I thought Arnold did a perfect job of creating the character BAT. BAT’s whole identity was not that he had autism, which I think is important to point out. He is still a kid, just like everyone else. He has needs, likes, dislikes, challenges making friends, sibling rivalry, and a different family structure just like other kids in his class. I liked how the author made BAT a relatable character to anyone reading the book. Anyone can read this book and see themselves in BAT. I was able to see myself in Jabie, with the aspect of sibling rivalry. I have a younger brother just like she does. I can see my brother and I having similar conversations about who ate the last yogurt out of the fridge or bickering at one another.

This book is perfect to have in your classroom to talk about persuasive writing as well! BAT wants to keep the kit, but his mom says no. BAT took this as a challenge and did research on how to be a good skunk owner and stumbled across a skunk expert. He emailed Dr. Jerry Dragoo to get help to convince his mom that it was okay to let him keep the skunk. As a teacher, we can use this aspect of the story to have students write a persuasive letter to a parents, friend, or even the principal. This will help students write convincing facts and throw in aspects of opinion!

Affordance of #OWNVOICE Authors and Illustrators:

Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You

Sonia Sotomayor: Author

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, author of Just Ask, was inspired to write this book after having an experience in a restaurant bathroom a few years ago. She states, in an interview with Leila Fadel, that a woman walked into the bathroom while she was giving herself an insulin shot. She did not think much of the interaction until she was leaving the restaurant and walked past the woman again and heard her say to her friend, she’s a drug addict. This stopped Sonia in her tracks. Sonia said to the woman and her friend that she is not a drug addict, but a diabetic. She explained how she was giving herself a shot of insulin to help her stay alive. If you do not know why someone is doing something, just ask them!

This story allowed Sonia to passionately create the book Just Ask! This became a personal message about her life and everyone else who lives with a disability. Instead of assuming why someone is using something or doing something differently, just ask them. Not everyone will be willing to share, but it creates a new environment in the world, where it is not taboo to talk about our differences and just makes it a typical conversation. Sotomayor also states how,

“differences are not a bad thing … they can give us the ability to perceive and interact in a world in a positive way. Lots of people think that difference caused by conditions means that you do things in somehow a less meaningful way. I don’t want kids to ever think that … they are special in a good way, never a bad way”.

I think this quote beautifully sums up the book, Just Ask! While also conveying the message and purpose Sotomayor and Lόpez had when creating the book.

Rafael Lόpez: Illustrator:

Rafael Lόpez, illustrator of Just Ask!, states in the interview with Leila Fadel, how he was able to connect to the story. Rafael’s son, Santiago, has autism. Santiago has taught Rafael so much through his life experiences and his own challenges. His son has made him a more patient person and was able to realize what amazing abilities Santiago has. Rafael views what his son can do, as superpowers.

I loved learning about the thought process behind Rafael’s choice of coloring and drawing. He states how at the beginning of the book, the grass is dry and yellow. But, when characters are introduced, there is more and more color. By doing this, he was representing the differences and challenges of all of the characters and yet how they overcome them and can contribute their own uniqueness to the garden. The end of the book has vibrant colors everywhere, which is supposed to reflect the explosion of diversity that the characters in the story have.

A Boy Called BAT

Elana K. Arnold: Author

This idea for the BAT books came to Elana by inspiration from her brother. She stated in an interview with Sally J. Pla, that her brother has always gone by his initials, which spell ZAK. Which led her to thinking, “What if?” What if there was a boy that went by his initials, but instead of ZAK they were BAT. This is what led her into developing characteristic traits for BAT. Elana also relates to BAT through his personality and his physicality. She based this off of how she felt and acted as a kid and also how she interacted with the world.

Elana also did a TON of research for this book, because she does not have autism and she was writing a book that included a character with autism. She read books written by people with autism that told their lived experiences, she also read fiction books by authors with autism, and also read a lot of books on skunk care! Walden Pond Press, her publisher, also hired a sensitivity reader for all three of the BAT books. By having all this research and a team to back her up, Elana was able to create a character that was authentic and real.

Charles Santoso: Illustrator

Charles was able to capture the intimate moments of BAT, through black and white pictures. He was able to convey the feelings BAT had. I especially like the image here because, as the reader, I can see the frustration building up in BAT’s hands and arms. Charles was able to capture moments like these and have a visual representation for the reader to evaluate and understand how characters were feeling.

Another Text

A Friend for Henry Summary

A Friend for Henry, written by Jenn Bailey and illustrated by Mika Song, is a children's picture book that follows a boy named Henry, a young boy who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Henry tries interacting with his classmates in hopes to find a friend. His sensitivity, literal-minded, analytical personality and thoughtfulness sometimes clashes with other classmates' personalities. For example, Henry arranged the carpet squares for reading time in a specific pattern and had the edges meet perfectly. Samuel grabs a carpet square and states that it is a magic carpet. This makes Henry frustrated because he worked on arranging the squares in a specific way and they are not magic.

Henry starts to think he may not be able to find a friend, until Katie looks at the class fish with him. Katie is a friend that respects Henry’s boundaries and needs. The book ends with Katies going down the big slide and recess and Henry waiting at the bottom for her. The illustrations, done by Mika Song, captures Henry and his classmates in a peaceful yet detailed way. When Henry was upset, Song paid attention to the way Henry’s facial expressions portrayed that feeling by scrunching up his eyebrows.

A Friend for Henry A Deeper Look:

The character portrayal of Henry is humanizing and a great book to share alongside, A Boy Called Bat. In both books, the author never mentions the character has autism, it is just a part of them. It is not the main focus because they have other qualities as well, like we all do. Henry is presented just like every other character in the book. He is not labeled. We get to see how he navigates the classroom and goes about his day, just like every other student in his class. The story is told through a third person perspective, which allows the reader to see Henry's actions and feelings as if they were there.

As the reader, we do not pity Henry for his difference, we just see him as a young boy trying to fit in and make friends with his classmates. We all can relate to the pressure of finding a friend. The author, Jenn Bailey, has a son who has autism. When creating this text, she used a lot of her personal experiences with raising her son and watching him grow and interact with the world when writing this book.

A Friend for Henry Next Steps:

This book is incredibly humanizing and should be shared with students to help them build empathy tools and create a space where they can ask questions to one another to help them feel more comfortable and able to succeed.

I would first create a Jamboard with a picture from the book where Henry is upset with his classmate for moving the carpet square. I would have the students describe how they thing Henry is feeling and what Henry is doing. This will allow the students to get in the mindset of Henry.

Then, I will move the conversation to allow the students to talk about a time where they felt frustrated and if they had similar feelings or reactions. This will allow the students to relate to how Henry is feeling and also allow them to understand why a classmate may be feeling a certain way in the future. By doing this activity, I am able to let the students build strategies to help other students and be able to empathize with one another and Henry.

Author and Illustrator Section

Author of Just Ask!

Sonia Sotomayor

Twitter: @soniamsotomayo