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Jeanne Gehret's The Don't-Give-Up Kid is about a young boy, Alex, who has a learning difference. This exceptionality makes it difficult for him to read, so his parents take him to a psychologist, who diagnoses him with what the reader understands to be dyslexia. The story, which Alex narrates, goes on to talk about his experiences in his new classroom setting, his discovery of other students and famous people with learning differences, and his understanding that his learning difference doesn't mean he cant excel at other things. In fact, he states that he is very good in other areas, such as baseball and math.
The book's illustrations by DePauw do an excelent job of explaining what is going on. Through their realistic style, I think that the illustrator shows the reader that people like Alex, and issues like his reading disability really do exist.
This book is a good tool to use when trying to help students understand the viewpoint of classmates that may have trouble in certain subjects. An exercise that goes along with this book would be to have students write or talk about how they think it would feel to be in Alex's situation, and how they would want to be treated. Having a class-wide discussion after in which all ideas are discussed may be useful in developing a classroom list that reminds students how they should treat their peers.
The book's illustrations by DePauw do an excelent job of explaining what is going on. Through their realistic style, I think that the illustrator shows the reader that people like Alex, and issues like his reading disability really do exist.
This book is a good tool to use when trying to help students understand the viewpoint of classmates that may have trouble in certain subjects. An exercise that goes along with this book would be to have students write or talk about how they think it would feel to be in Alex's situation, and how they would want to be treated. Having a class-wide discussion after in which all ideas are discussed may be useful in developing a classroom list that reminds students how they should treat their peers.
Interest Level: Grades 1-3
Gehret, J., & DePauw, S. A. (1990). The Don't-give-up kid and learning differences. Fairport, N.Y.: Verbal Images Press.
ISBN: 0962513628
Gehret, J., & DePauw, S. A. (1990). The Don't-give-up kid and learning differences. Fairport, N.Y.: Verbal Images Press.
ISBN: 0962513628