What's Wrong with Timmy? | Maria Shriver | What's Wrong With Timmy?

What's Wrong with Timmy? | Maria Shriver | Great book for church library

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What's Wrong with ...

	What's Wrong with Timmy? Maria Shriver Little, Brown & Company, 2001 - 48 pages average customer review:based on 27 reviews view larger image
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When 8-year-old Kate meets a boy who seems somehow different, she feelsfunny inside. After talking with her mom, though, Kate begins to understand thatTimmy is just like her in many ways. Timmy has special needs; he takes longer tolearn than Kate, and can't walk or run as well. But he also "loves his family,he wants friends, he goes to school, and he dreams about what he wants to bewhen he grows up." Kate and Timmy meet, and the seeds of a friendship areplanted. For all those children who ask their parents why someone looks or acts"different," author and journalist Maria Shriver's What's Wrong withTimmy? provides a base for discussion. Kate's mother models appropriatebehavior, speaking to her daughter calmly and directly, and providing examplesfrom her own life to help Kate understand about Timmy. Illustrator SandraSpeidel's soft, intentionally hazy pastels are lovely; bold, enlarged phrases onthe opposite pages of text act as captions. Shriver and Speidel collaboratedpreviously on the tremendously popular What's Heaven?, also starringKate and her mother. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

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What's Wrong With Timmy?

Just as with What's Heaven, this story has Kate as well. I think every parent that has a child with special needs would hope that friendship and acceptance would come as quickly to them as it does to Timmy in What's Wrong With Timmy?

The story begins with Kate and her mother at the park. Kate is always so full of questions and wonders why the boy she observes playing basketball seems different. Kate learns his name is Timmy from her Mom who happened to be friends with his Mother before they moved away when both kids were babies. When Kate asked her Mother about Timmy her Mother proceeded to speak in the same way as when she has something important to say.

It turns out that Timmy is a child with special needs. He talks slower, cannot walk or run as fast as Kate but he wants the same things as other children do. Kate kept asking her Mother more questions indicating that she was scared of Timmy because of his differences. Her Mother explained that when we first come in contact with someone different we may feel uncomfortable and that is okay. She than relays in detail about a friend of hers when she was in school who had a sister that was in a wheelchair. To this day Kate's Mother cannot recall if she ever said hello to Rosie the first time she met her when playing with Tina. Kate says that back in those days people were in institutions or just stayed in their homes.

I am not sure how many typical developing children are as inquisitive as Kate, but find all her questions and feelings quite fascinating. As a parent to two special needs children it is hard to know how other children view those who have disabilities and are different.

This is certainly a story that can be read to children before they enter the school system and learn about all types of children they will encounter. We should be encouraging all children not to fear another child because they are different but to seek out the similarities within

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Great book for church library

I am a Lutheran Church librarian in Florida who bought this book for our church library. It stresses that though we may have different traits and characteristics we are all worthy of love, respect and human dignity. It discusses a mentally-challenged little boy and how he can be a good playmate even though he is a little slow. So what? He is still a persdon worthy of dignity and acceptance. This book stresses kindness on a personal level and a live-and-let-live attitude. This is a vital life lesson for our children to learn early on, and is a great conversation starter. This book will help cut down on bullying, marginalization and dehumanization of the mentally and physically challenged among us. After all, who among us does not have some sort of shortcoming? Children need to know that perfection is an impossibility and so they should expect people to do the best job they can but not expect perfection in themselves or others. The illustrations appear to be done in pastels and are very attractive. Great Job, Maria! Keep them coming!

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SLP

What's Wrong with Timmy? is a children's book about a boy with a developmental disability. In this book there is a girl named Kate and a boy named Timmy. Kate meets Timmy at the park and learns that he has a developmental disability. Kate learns what this means and develops a friendship with Timmy. This book explores what a developmental disability is, difficulties Timmy has at school with his studies and with the other children. Kate begins to understand that there is nothing wrong with Timmy, he is just different from her in some ways, but she also learns that they are the same in some ways. This book is good for teaching children to look at what a child with special needs can do, not what they cannot do.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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