Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful. In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges — and looks at the special powers those kids have as well.
As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask. This affirming book with illustrations by award-winning artist Rafael Lopez is a kind and caring story about the differences that make each of us unique.
"Starting with her own story and continuing with López’s experience with asthma, Sotomayor next includes 12 additional characters with diverse experiences, such as dyslexia, a nut allergy, and Tourette’s syndrome. The children introduce themselves, sometimes noting differences along a spectrum (Jordan and Tian, both autistic, communicate differently).... The title expresses Sotomayor’s conviction that asking, far from being impolite, banishes isolation. If anyone doesn’t 'feel ready to explain,' 'I just ask my parents or my teachers and they help me to understand.' A quiet musing about how 'each of us has unique powers to share.'" — Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 4 - 9 |
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Author | Sonia Sotomayor |
Illustrator | Rafael López |
ISBN | 0525514120 |
Publication Date | Sep 3, 2019 |
Publisher | Philomel Books |
Language | English |