Customer Reviews

We'll Paint the Octopus Red

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WE'LL PAINT THE OCTOPUS RED WAS A WONDERFUL BOOK. MY SON HAS DOWNS SYNDROME. HE IS NOW 18 HE ENJOYED READING THE BOOK. HE READ IT TO 3 CHILDERN WHO HAVE A BROTHER 7 MONTHS OLD WHO HAS DOWNS SYNDROME. I WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE AS CONSERNED AS EMMA.THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL BOOK.

I originally purchased We'll Paint the Octopus Red to help me explain Down Syndrome to my older daughter when my younger daughter was born: the whys and how comes the little one needed more attention. The story is simply told. The only child will now become an older child. She and her younger sibling will have so much fun together, her dad advises. But on the day that the baby is born, the dad is sad and tells his daughter that the baby has Down Syndrome. The daughter, in her innocence, carefully reviews all the plans that her dad said she could do with her baby brother. After each example, the dad advises that they could still do the activity with a little patience. Slowly, the daughter teaches the dad and the reader that children with Down Syndrome can do almost anything with love, patience, understanding and the opportunity to try. The book not only gave guidance to my husband and me, but also was helpful in breaking down old stereotypes and ideas held by our parents.

This is a great, simple, accurate, sweet book about a little girl who has a brother with Down syndrome. It explains that kids with Down syndrome need more time and patience, but they all can learn to do the things other kids do. I highly recommend this book to kids with Down syndrome and their siblings, friends, neighbors and relatives. It's good on its own and as an alternative to What's Wrong With Timmy?, a book that covers the same topic in a much less appealing manner.

Six year old Emma isn't very happy about the idea of having a new brother or sister but when Emma and her dad start thinking of all the things that they can do with the new baby, Emma becomes excited at the prospect of being a big sister. When her dad comes home and tells Emma that her new brother, Isaac, has Down syndrome, Emma worries that he won't be able to do any of the fun things that she has imagined. As Emma and her dad think back over all the things they wanted to do with the new baby, they realize together that as long as they are patient and helped him when he needed it, there wasn't anything he couldn't do. This is a reassuring story for young children bewildered by Down syndrome and what it means for their relationship with their new sibling. This is truly a wonderful story. Your child will ask you why you are crying after you read it to them. Of all the books for this age group, this book is by far the best.

I bought this book while pregnant because I'm sure that someday my daughter will have questions about her big brother who has Down syndrome. I'm hoping that this book will help both of them understand why when the day comes that she is able to do things that he hasn't learned yet. Being only 23 months apart, I felt the need to be prepared as soon as possible.

This is a beautiful book that very sweetly explains that delays don't mean that someone will never be able. I like the fact that this book doesn't dwell on the negatives of a Down syndrome diagnosis, but also includes the idea that Mom & Dad may be sad. I hope that my daughter someday cherishes the book and why I bought it for her.

I bought this book for my 6 year old niece who has a younger sister with Down Syndrome. So far everyone she has shown this book to has bought it.

It's a wonderful book and I still can't get through it without crying. Such a simple and compassionate story about a little girl understanding the differences in her brother with down syndrome. A story that involves her father explaining down and a child's simple understanding that her new brother can still do the same things.

I bought this book for my daughter, also named Emma, when her brother was unexpectedly born with Down syndrome a year ago. The book accuately describes the feelings my husband and I were feeling, and the concerns I'm sure Emma will have when Jake gets older. (She's only 3 now, but already knows there is something different about her best playmate) From the moment we first read it to her, it became her favorite book. She calls it her "special book" and asks us to read it to her often. I even have had mothers at church borrow it so they can read it to their children to explain to them what Down syndrome is, and how Jake will be affected.
I love this book, and its overall message - that Jake may not be able to do all the things other babies his age are doing at the time, but he will in his own time, and he just might need a little help.

Fantastic book for my 3 year old son who has recently had a new sister with DS. Although my first reading made me cry this has been an important book for us as a family to discuss DS in a way that is meaningful to a 3 year old. I purchased 2 copies - one to give to child care as I think this will be great for all of my sons friends and also when my daughter attends!! Thanks

As we prepare our two young children for the birth of their brother with Down syndrome, I have searched for a book to help introduce the topic. This one received such great reviews that I ordered it. When it arrived, I was disappointed to see the perspective from which it is written. The young child in the story (upon hearing that her brother has Down Syndrome) immediately assumes the worst about her brother -- thinking "he will never do this or this or this," and the parent reassures her that he will. My question is, what young child would hear the words "Down syndrome" and immediately have that perspective?? Especially a pre-school child (the targeted audience in the story). It's an adult perspective to worry about what the child may "never do," not a child's. My five year old has no assumptions about his new baby brother. Why should I plant the idea in his head? I'd prefer a book that just focuses on what the baby will do, without planting seeds of doubt first. Unfortunately, I won't be using this book as planned. If my child ever does begin to worry about his brother's abilities, it would be a fine resource, but it's not the book to use for a first impression.

Great book. Like an earlier review, it also made me cry the first time I read it. It really captures the feelings associated with having a Down Syndrome child. Definitely a must buy for anyone who has a Down Syndrome child, with or without siblings.