How Smudge Came

How better to understand our common humanity than to peek at the inner world of another -- and find it so like our own? Soft, coloured pencil illustrations and sparse, personal narrative relate a poignant story of love and loss, freedom and frustration, heartbreak and, in the end, happiness.

When I first read this book I cried. It is a great tale about a girl with down's syndrome named Cindy. She finds a puppy that she befriends and is forced later in the book to give up the puppy. It is a heart warming tale that children can identify with. We've all lost something we loved, whether it be a family member, a pet, or even a favorite blanket. In educational terms, it is filled with sight words and many new vocabulary words. It also introduces young readers to diversity and is a great way to teach children about disabilities.

Coming from a mother of two boys with Down syndrome, I was justtouched at the story. Gregory has a captivating way of literallyentering the mind of Cindy and the way she processes her day to dayactivities. This wonderful lesson in empathy helps us realize thatso-called "special-needs" people are a lot more like therest of us than they are different.

I am in awe of what Nan Gregory has been able to accomplish by page 2, the respect she has for her young audience's intelligence, and for all the seeds of other stories she plants along the way but chooses not to tell. Ron Lightburn's gorgeous, moody, illustrations help draw the reader (or listener) into Cindy's world, far away from sentimentality and cuteness. A great book; one day hope to read it (and Charlotte's Web) aloud without sobbing. Please give us more of Cindy.