Donald Joseph Meyer

I read this book to a 11 year old daughter and she asked if she could read some of "her favorite essays" to us - she is the older sibling of our 2 year old little girl who was born 17 weeks early and she has cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, is tube-fed and chronically ill. Her favorite stories were of the ones that she could most relate to - like the little boy who said he did not understand why his sibling was so ill when she was born. I think it made her feel like it was okay for her show more to have bad and good emotions about her little sister. show less

I enjoyed reading this book being able to identify with the siblings that were giving their point of view in this book. This is a good resource for a child who is growing up with a sibling who has a disability. This book shows children that they are most certainly not the only ones going through this. I enjoy that the majority of these stories are filled with positivity. This book would also be useful as a way to introduce disabilities to a class. This book put disabilities into the show more children's words and gives perspective as well. There is a back section of the book with definitions of terms that are used that may be unfamiliar to the reader because they are not exposed to the same things. This book sheds light onto things that people might not have thought about before as far as family dynamic goes. Lastly, I think this book did a good job including the real emotions of the siblings. This book included how some feel embarrassed or angry sometimes and let the reader know that it is okay to feel that way at times. The big picture of this book is to show the experiences of many siblings and how they feel about their lives. show less

A wonderful book that gives valuable insight into the lives of children who have siblings with special needs. Each child shares their experiences, their likes and dislikes about the situation, and special times they've had with their sibling. The book also has a glossary in the back with definitions of all the different disorders/disabilities mentioned.

Summary- Donald Meyer is the director of a Sibling Support Project at a Children's Hospital. He works with kids who have siblings with special needs. He reached out to 45 kids and asked them to tell him what it is like to have a brother or sister with special needs.
Personal Reaction-This is an amazing book for anyone of any age. Everyone can learn something. This books speaks to everyone because everyone has or knows someone with a special need. It can help people understand what these show more special needs kids are going through and how we can make it easier for them and people around them. It can also help lessen bullying.
Classroom Extension-Have the kids talk about someone they know with a special need. Open up for any questions they may have. show less