He's My Brother

He's My Brother is written about a boy named Jamie who suffers from an "invisible handicap", from the viewpoint of his older brother. When reading through the book you feel you are going through this process along with the brother as he is sharing snippets of Jamie's life alternating between black and white illustrations and then colored pages.At first it seems like the black and white illustrations are when the brother interprets Jamie is sad and then the colorful pages are when he is home safe with his family, happy just to be himself. The first page has an image that really makes you stop and think of what life is like for these children, especially those that cannot verbally express themselves. This one is black and white and has Jamie looking out a open window with a blank stare. The author/illustrator really captures the empty feeling that Jamie most likely has as the words describe his brother's thoughts, " Jamie's my brother. He doesn't have many friends." There is no mention of exactly what disability Jamie suffers from, but a hint that it could be a learning disability when the subject matter is school and his brother notes that when it is noisy James gets mixed up at school. I really enjoyed reading through He's My Brother and sharing it with my eight year old son to help him understand his own brother a bit more. This book is suitable for those with children who have a learning disability, sensory integration dysfunction, autism, ADD, ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, PDD, OCD, MR and other disabilities that might be considered an invisible handicap. Perfect for teachers, school libraries, sibling support groups, and relatives. Although it is an older book, the illustrations and text are well suited to the current year.

In this touching story about Jamie and his challenging journey through life, Joe Lasker points out the differences and difficulties of a child with what he and his wife call "The Invisible Handicap." Using the voice of Jamie's brother, the author sensitively shares with his readers a glimpse at what it is like to live with someone like Jamie. Through the use of not only facts, but also emotions, Joe Lasker has done a terrific job of heightening the awareness of young and old alike to the trials and triumphs of a child like Jamie and his family who daily journey through his learning disability. I enthusiastically recommend this book for teaching children how to relate to those with special needs.