A Contest

Summary: Even though Mike has cerebral palsy, he shows the children in his class that he can play to win when he gets the chance. In the 34 pages of "A Contest," author Sherry Neuwirth Payne and illustrator Jeff Kyle show how Mike, a fifth-grade CP student, has a rough time coping with a transfer from a special-ed school to a "regular" school. The other kids there act as if they've never seen anyone in a wheelchair before, and Mike has a little trouble with a bully. No one takes the first step to include Mike in their activities. His parents sympathize, but offer no practical advice aside from his father's figurative, "Suck it up." It takes a perceptive teacher to draw out Mike's feelings and find out what he's good at in order to challenge the other kids to interact with him. The author's language is plain, simple and straightforward throughout. The illustrator, with his realistic style, is to be especially commended for showing the proper arm wrestling grip in one of the contests, as children who don't know it are liable to injure each other's thumbs. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY for all elementary school age children.