Mandy Sue Day [Hardcover]

Roberta Karim (Author), Karen Ritz (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

This elegant prose poem, illustrated with realistic watercolor paintings, tells how a blind girl, using her senses of taste, hearing, touch, and smell, enjoys a special day with her horse, Ben.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. Better to judge this by the jacket illustration than by the jacket copy, which gives away the fact that Mandy Sue is blind. The jacket, showing Mandy Sue standing near her horse, will appeal directly to young horse lovers. There's no "poster child" sentimentality in the story, which follows Mandy Sue during an autumn day on the farm as she spends time with her horse and does things many children might enjoy. Only at the story's close, when her little brother offers her a flashlight, does she reveal "I can't see." What the pictures communicate so clearly is the extent of the world Mandy Sue knows and what a day full of fun she has. Mary Harris Veeder

Review

"Karim's prose, which borders on blank verse, beautifully conveys the child's sensations and emotions. Ritz's illustrations in muted colors have an old-fashioned ambiance and and depict a warm family and the area's open landscape." School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 19, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395661552
• ISBN-13: 978-0395661550
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,735,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For children handicapped or not this book teaches acceptance, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mandy Sue Day (Hardcover)

I have a young daughter who loves horses and I work with mentally challenged children this book is great for showing how a child with any challenge can accomplish anything

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars farm life, March 21, 2005

By 

Peggy Clarke (Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mandy Sue Day (Hardcover)

This book is very interesting and wholesome. It is family life on the farm. This little girl gets to spend her special day with her best friend, a horse. This girl is also blind.
The reader does not reallize until the end of the story that Mandy Sue is in fact blind. The writer portrays Mandy Sue as a regular person, which of coarse she is. Every school should have a copy of this book. This book leaves you with a good feeling and insight that everyone is equal. The pictures are beautiful to look at and farm and family life is shown in a postive light. Mandy Sue is a happy girl who lives on a farm, and when she rides her favorite horse, she is free. She can ride fast and feel the wind in her hair. She is alive.Mandy Sue's horse gives her the opportunity to express herself and feel safe and loved by her horse.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Your library definitely needs this book, February 14, 2004

By 

Tracy Beck (WATERDOWN, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mandy Sue Day (Hardcover)

Mandy's family live on a farm and it's up to the children to help out with the chores. Dad gives them each one day off though and Mandy chooses to spend her day with her horse, Ben. Beautiful descriptions of experiences, as felt through Mandy's other senses, reveal that she is blind. Her independence is wonderful and the book is a sensational way to naturally introduce children to live with a disability.