A wonderful book to teach children about three values they can “carry” for the rest of their lives: friendship, perseverance, and kindness. Victoria Smith offers a story inspired, as she says, “by true events and real people”, reaching the softest spots in our hearts once again. Her book offers a glimpse into what it means to fight a rare disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, helping other kids learn not only about the disease itself, but also how to process difficult emotions.
My thoughts:
Meet Little h and Big H! At first glance, they are just an ordinary dog and an ordinary owner. But soon you will realize that they are far from ordinary, and their story will bring up all sorts of emotions. As the mother of an almost five-year-old, I am making an effort to find books that speak of topics important to me, such as disability and inclusion. My nephew has Down’s syndrome and I have always believed inclusion is easily achieved if children understand that it is all right to be different.
Victoria’s story is not only heartwarming, but it speaks of things that happen in real life, of how disability might change one’s life, bringing on a set of very specific challenges. What I liked about the story is that it doesn’t necessarily focus on the hard times, but on resilience and hope. “Never give up!” seems to be the message of her story and I loved it. It was such a great thing to find out that the profits from the book are donated to Harrison’s Fund, in the hope that a cure will be found for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Naturally, it is impossible to read this story and not be moved. After finishing the book, I took my daughter aside and we talked about disability; she had a lot of questions and I was happy to answer them. I was glad to see that she understood the message of the story – we have to maintain a positive attitude and face challenges as they come. The humorous side was enjoyable as well, not to mention the delightful illustrations bringing the story to life. As you will go through the story, you might find yourself rooting for… you’ll see, just read it!
Verdict:
This was such a great read! I know I might say this about a lot of books, but the story had everything. It was heartwarming, uplifting, sweet, encouraging, and many other attributes that send the same message – disability is hard to process alone, support makes everything better. Loved the story and the lessons it offered!
Grab your copy of the book from here!
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