Customer Reviews

My Brother Sammy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is obviously the work of someone who has experience with families of special needs children---it is warm, rich in language and provides insight in a very subjective way.

This book is not filled with the kind of sugar-coated, warm and fuzzy T. Berry Brazelton-esque didacticism that has Barney-fied the way we think children think. You experience frustration, confusion, and patient sensitivity from the child's perspective---Ms. Edwards is not afraid to show true emotions experienced by children.

It goes without saying that families with special needs children would enjoy this book, but it occurs to me that with the integration of special needs children into ordinary classroom settings that teachers would find this book a valuable part of the class reading collection.

We bought a few copies of this book...we lent one to a friend whose children have a sibling with special needs and we donated one to our local library.

My Brother Sammy explores the ambivilant feelings and actions of a child with a brother who has special needs. A beautifully illustrated, well written picturebook, it successfully deals with this complicated relationship. In a beautiful but simple way, it recognizes the difficulties a brother or sister might experience, while at the same time introducing the feelings of ambivilance, love and even real sacrifice. In doing so, it hightens reader sensitivity and encourages understanding.

Certainly My Brother Sammy will help families of children who have special needs, but it is very suitable for all families, with or without siblings who are special. To some degree every sibling has times when he or she disapproves or is embarrassed by the behavior of their brothers or sisters. This book should encourage discussion of those feelings.

I highly recommend this book as one worth owning.

Our daughter was diagnosed with Autism a couple of years ago and since then, it has hit our son the hardest. Only 16 months older than our daughter, our son has struggled with why his sister doesn't speak, why she goes to a different school and why she doesn't play the same.

'My Brother Sam' depicts a young boy who's younger brother, Sam, is afflicted with autism. I was so pleased with the way the author showed not only the full spectrum of emotions of Sam's older brother due to realistic events (which are the same kind of problems our son has had to deal with) but also spent the last half of the book telling ways the little boy was able to understand and cope with Sam's special needs and enter HIS world.

Autism affects hundreds of thousands of people and each year, it grows. If you or someone you know has a young child struggling to cope with his/her newly diagnosed sibling, this is an excellent book to start with!

Awarded the English Association's English 4-11 Award for the Best Children's Picture Books of 1999 - Key Stage 1 Fiction. Making a child who has special needs the focus of story in a way which respects their integrity as well as identifying qualities which are 'different' is essential to this book. Sammy is an autistic child. His brother plays out - but Sammy looks up to the sky and does not play as his brother does. There are differences between the brothers - and at first they are marked out simply as 'differences'. It is when Sammy knocks down his brother's tower made of wooden blocks that Sammy is neither different nor special. He is in the way - because he is different and does things differently. For children in schools today, where there is a policy of inclusion, this book offers a way of understanding what makes each child unique. Sammy is different and his playing is different. But it is when his Mother says "It's because he is special and likes to play in a different way" that children can begin to explore more of what Mother means and how supportive Mother is to Sammy and his brother. Making this connection helps children to develop their understanding both of themselves and of other children. This is a sensitively written book with illustrations which help the reader think about Sammy and his special needs. Children enjoy this story when it is shared with them and is used to talk about how they can help other children.

I think it's important to emphasize that all children in the family are special, each in his/her own way. Explaining to siblings that the autistic child is "special" is one way that a parent can help brothers and sisters understand, accept and love. But in a household where autism can be so demanding of parents' attention, and where the autistic child is frequently the recipient of multiple in-home therapies (i.e., additional attention), the typically developing sibling needs to know that s/he is very special, too. I agree with the other reviewers that this is a sensitive and well written book but wish it had imparted that message. Many parents of autistic children try to teach that we all equal (and equally special), just different. When reading this book to my 4 year old to help him understand his little brother, I improvised and found ways to add that he is special, too.

This is a book that will undoubtedly touch many hearts. The gentle watercolor illustrations emphasize the gentle theme of this story. However, the watercolors may prove distracting for some readers as people are given more of a blurred appearance and often seem to be part of the background scenery. Many people with autism have difficulty decoding facial expressions and this "blurring" effect could add to that confusion. Certain colors appear to be associated with certain emotions, such as the orange when one is angry. I didn't like the orange shadings at all.

While I didn't care for the orange faces, I loved the message and the subject of the story. While Sammy appeared to fade into some of the scenery, I did not get the impression that the tired "autistic people prefer their own worlds" myth was being reinforced. People with autism often have difficulty processing and responding to sensory stimuli and often find it overwhelming. Responses can range from very intense to seemingly nonexistent, at which times the person is "coming even" after having endured an onslaught of sensory input.

Sam's older brother is the narrator of this story and outlines the parallels of a routine day for him and for Sammy. The boys' mother's unending refrain is that her younger son "is special." Even so, Sam's brother yearns for ways he can include him in their play and even wishes they attended the same school. My favorite picture (probably because I feel it is the most accurate) is Sammy's look of intense concentration when he is watching the sand sift through his fingers.

Sam's speech is mostly echolalic and his brother wishes they could converse. Still, he is very accepting of Sam and very protective of him as well.

I got tired of the mother's saying "because he is special" over and over and also wished more time was spent on describing autism and explaining what it is. Autism is a neurobiological condition that affects sensory processing and integration and communication. Autism is as varied as there are individuals who have it. Sammy appears to have a rather severe form of the condition. Sam's brother, to his credit does not force him to be what he is not; he joins Sam in some of the things he likes to do and maintains a tolerant posture throughout the book.

I was a bit surprised that autism was never mentioned within the text of My Brother Sammy. The only mention is on the back cover, " Sammy is autistic, and in this wonderful book two brothers find out how to really love each other." The cover design is consistent with how the pages are illustrated with the flowing brushed watercolor theme.

I cried after reading My Brother Sammy the first time and still get emotional when I peruse through the pages. My seven-year old thought the kids had orange faces and did not like some of the illustrations, especially when Sammy was angry.

The illustrations of Sammy blended with the background, making it seem as if he was part of the scenery at times. I believe this was done to show how autistic children tend to drift away from crowds, preferring to stay in their own world.

The story begins with the narration of the older brother offering insight to the differences between his day and his brother Sammy. Within each example the explanation is the same, " My mom says it's because he's special."

The text on the page of Sammy nestled in the leaves of the trees' mentions how embarrassed his brother is for he wishes Sammy would just join in his games. The following page really captures the intent look on Sammy's face as he watches sand pour out from his hands while in the sandbox. His older brother is building castles and tunnels wishing Sammy would build creations with him instead.

Sammy repeats whatever his brother says to him so he will say " Hello, Sammy" right back to him without knowing any other way. Just like the book Ian's Walk the sibling finally seems to understand autism and enters the world of the autistic sibling.

At times while reading through My Brother Sammy I felt the collages of color were distracting as did my son. I would have rather had less emphasis on the special aspect of being different and more on what exactly is autism with some of the symptoms and how they fit into the world Sammy lives in. It certainly seems to be catching on to the siblings of autistic children that in order to converse with the sibling you need to get to their level, instead of trying to draw them out and force them into a world they cannot adjust to.

This beautifully illustrated book is the winner of the second biennial Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Special Needs Project. This is a very touching story about a boy who comes to understand and appreciate his brother who has autism. Sammy's brother learns that in addition to having a special brother, he can be a special brother to Sammy by loving him.