Rules is told from the perspective of Catherine, and is about her younger brother being autistic. Catherine just wants to feel like any other normal 12 year old and she gets frustrated that her brother is not normal. Catherine makes a list of rules for David (her brother) that will help him understand social norms, and to help him not be a victim of bullying because he's different. At first Catherine gets really frustrated with David, but then she becomes friends with Jason, who has a mental disability. This unlikely friendship helps Catherine question what normal really is and helps her to become more accepting of others.
This is a great book for teaching acceptance in schools because young children need to learn that everyone is different. They also need to learn that is not okay to bully someone just because they have a mental disability or they are different from you. It is also important for children to realize that not everyone comprehends something the same way, and it is important to be understanding of everyone's differences.
I really enjoyed this book because it expresses how children view something like autism, and how they deal with it. Throughout the whole book Catherine was accepting of her brother and she defended him from people who were mean to him, but there were times when her frustration got the better of her. I had a really strong connection with this book, because I have a family member who is autistic. I know that it can be frustrating when people aren't accepting of people who have autism. But I think this was a good book because instead of taking the view point of a adult or parent that has a child with autism, it looks at the siblings of children with autism and how they come to terms with it.
First, I've seen this book lots of times but never knew what it was about, so I'm glad I finally do! This book would be a great book to recommend to the siblings of students with autism or other mental disabilities because it can help show them how to cope and handle their frustrations. This is a great book to use with kids to help them be accepting of all the students in there school! What grade level would you recommend reading this to?
ReplyDeleteI never heard of this book and now I would really like to read it. This sounds like a wonderful book to help students to be more accepting of everyone and for them to understand the struggle's it is to have autism or be related to someone with disabilities. It gives students a new perspective on how to treat other's with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteI think the topic of disabilites is something hard for teachers to explain to students, especially if there is a student with a disability in class. This would be a great way for the to understand the struggle and find a way to relate to others. I would suggest bringing in the school psychologist after reading this book to a classroom to provide for information for your students about all disabilities. I know when I was younger I was extremely curious about these topics.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that it is the point of view of a child or sibling. It is very easy for adults to be more understanding (most times, not always). On the other hand it can really be a struggle for a young child to be accepting in fear of being rejected by their peers. This seems like a great book that children can relate to to introduce the topic of bullying and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book to read. There seems to be a big problem with bullying in school. This book would be a good way to teach other children acceptance of handicaps. Thank you for the review.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is extremely important that students have an understanding of the disabilities that children surrounding them have. There was a girl with mild autism in classes with me from elementary through high school and her mother came in and explained in all of her classes about autism and it helped the students to understand her needs. This is a great way to teach students that it is wrong to bully and tease because of a student's disabilities.
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