Petey (new cover) (edition 2010)

Diabilities are a hard thing to understand for anyone, much less children. This book will show children that even with disabilities, all children are the same. This book will help children to know what it feels like for Petey. It will help children be nicer to other children who are not exactly like them. Read aloud book ( )

Petey is a touching story about how disabilities were misdiagnosed even in the 1900s. Petey is institutionalized due to his inability to communicate. However, it really just took someone that gives him the time to learn how he is communicating. While most failed to give him a chance, a few people became important in his life. Unfortunately many of them left Petey for a variety of reasons. His long lasting friendship with another patient is finally severed when Petey is moved to a nursing home. A series of events bring a new, young friend into Petey's life who finally gets Petey better living conditions and a renewed outlook on life. Some great things happen when people let Petey into their life, a great lesson to all who read this book. ( )

A warm, touching story about a man with cerebral palsy who grew up in mental institutions. I enjoyed reading of the different friendships in Petey's life. And how there were people willing to take the steps needed to help Petey be part of the world. Those people got more in return than they ever thought possible. The writing was clear and quite suitable for readers 10 years and up. ( )

This is a story about a man named Petey. He is born with cerebral palsy but is misdiagnosed, due to lack of medical knowledge, as a moron. He befriends a worker named Esteban, another named Joe, has a romantic encounter with Sally, befriends a worker named Owen and finds a friend named Calvin. Over the years, he is separated from all of them. But a young boy named Trevor protects Petey from bullies, helps find Calvin and befriends Petey in the final years of his life.

This is a sad story. I used to volunteer at a nursing home and I am all to familiar with the sights and smells so vividly described in this book. It made me sad to think about Petey and the fact that if only he had been born later, he could have gone through therapy. It was an emotional ending as well.

I can think of several classroom applications. We could study cerebral palsy as a science lesson about the body. We also could go visit a nursing home (if these are older kids) and visit with the residents to teach students compassion. They could reflect in their experience in a paper.

Petey was diagnosed as an "idiot" when he was born. After selling off almost everything they had, his parents made the heart-wrenching decision to institutionalize Petey. Petey was misdiagnosed and instead of being mentally retarded, he was born with cerebral palsy. Even though he was ignored and treated like he didn't understand, Petey overcame so many obstacles and never gave up, befriending and losing so many in his life. This heart warming story will touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes. ( )