Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You

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.

Appropriate for grades 1-3. Just Ask is about a bunch of different kids with different disabilities or struggles in life. Each page gives a brief description and a question to ask about how you might be similar. This book is a great window for students who might have questions about people with different disabilities but don't want to ask. The book is formatted and flows in such a way that makes the various disabilities more normal and relatable for kids.

This book is appropriate for kindergarten-5th grade. It's about different children with disabilities who explain how their disability impacts them. I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was well written and illustrated. I would read this to my students so that they understand that it's okay to ask respectful questions if they want to learn more about their classmates or others around them in their daily life.

Every page of this book asks the reader to think about difference as a way to connect to other humans. Sometimes children are taught unconsciously to ignore the things that makes us different. In this book, author invites the reader to celebrate what makes people different.

Encourages kids to ask other kids about their differences in a curious, nonjudgmental way. Twelve kids plant a garden and explain their own differences (diabetes, asthma, blindness, deafness, etc.) as they do so.

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Re-read February 2021
The garden metaphor (variety/difference = beauty) works well here. There is just enough information about the way each child is different to introduce readers who may be unfamiliar with Down syndrome, autism, etc., so that if/when they meet people in real life, they will have some context. Window/mirror book.

A heartfelt picture book about feeling different when growing up. The author, Sonia Sotomayor, wrote about growing up with a disability and being different than her peers. Throughout the book, she chronicles different disabilities and the super powers that come along with the disabilities. Addressing diabetes, autism, deaf, down syndrome and many more, the children in this book work together to build a beautiful garden. Moral of the book: if someone is different and you are curious, just ask!

Goodreads Review:
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 show more someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask. show less