Que le pasa a Timmy? (Hardcover)

by Maria Shriver (Author), Sandra Speidel (Illustrator) "Habia una vez una nina llamada Kate que era muy curiosa..." (more)
Key Phrases: las matemáticas

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
When 8-year-old Kate meets a boy who seems somehow different, she feels funny inside. After talking with her mom, though, Kate begins to understand that Timmy is just like her in many ways. Timmy has special needs; he takes longer to learn than Kate, and can't walk or run as well. But he also "loves his family, he wants friends, he goes to school, and he dreams about what he wants to be when he grows up." Kate and Timmy meet, and the seeds of a friendship are planted.

For all those children who ask their parents why someone looks or acts "different," author and journalist Maria Shriver's What's Wrong with Timmy? provides a base for discussion. Kate's mother models appropriate behavior, speaking to her daughter calmly and directly, and providing examples from her own life to help Kate understand about Timmy. Illustrator Sandra Speidel's soft, intentionally hazy pastels are lovely; bold, enlarged phrases on the opposite pages of text act as captions. Shriver and Speidel collaborated previously on the tremendously popular What's Heaven?, also starring Kate and her mother. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-This brief book tells of the meeting in the park between an eight-year-old girl and the "mentally retarded" son of her mother's friend. The writer describes Timmy as someone who "looked different" and has a face that seems "flatter" than other children's. Kate asks her mother about the boy and learns that he is her age and was born with disabilities. The children discover that they like the same things at school, recess and sports, and don't like math. After a game of basketball with her friends, Timmy and Kate make a play date. The warm pastel illustrations support the theme of acceptance of all people no matter their differences. However, the little girl's questions and actions are quite mature for her age. The lack of paragraphs might be a bit confusing to young readers, and the intermittent use of bold-faced, larger-sized type is a bit disruptive, although its purpose seems to be to highlight the theme. The book reads well, though, and would be a good introduction for youngsters welcoming a disabled child into their school or neighborhood.

Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; Spanish Language edition (December 5, 2001)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0316167940
• ISBN-13: 978-0316167949
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #872,500 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it, I bought it, BUT...., November 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: What's Wrong with Timmy? (Hardcover)

I liked this book. Maria Shriver did a good job in making a little boy with Down Syndrome come to life, and it is a book that is certainly worth reading with your child aged 4-10. Still, there were things that I would do differently. For openers, many books like this tend to over-idealize the disabled person who is the main character. Timmy is no exception. Yes, there are many children with Down Syndrome who can play basketball and have the vocabulary that Timmy has. But there are also many children (including my own non-verbal son) who do not. I thought that Ms. Shriver could have at least mentioned that there are people with more severe cognitive/speech disabilities even if Timmy is not one of them. I DID appreciate the fact that she noted that "there were tears when Timmy was born." But at the end she decides that there is nothing wrong with Timmy afterall, and that was a little too corny for my taste. Also, in one part of the book she talks about how kids at school tease Timmy and call him "stupid" or "retard." Perhaps I am being naive, but many schools have moved way beyond treating disabled students like this. I would like to invite Ms. Shriver to my child's own elementary school, where the kids with disabilities are mainstreamed into regular recess and lunch and sometimes other subjects. The non-disabled kids actually FIGHT over who will "get to be" the disabled student's "buddy" that day. And when the boys are playing football with one 10 year old boy with Down syndrome, they are incredibly protective of him and seem to really enjoy the "joy" he gets from being out there with them. The book also squeezes in a child who is physically disabled (she is in a wheelchair) but has no cognitive disabilities. The book was a bit wordy (like this review!) and could have been edited down a bit more. Despite my criticisms, I did think this was a good book and worth reading. I'm glad it was written by Maria Shriver as the Shriver/Kennedy family have been such wonderful advocates for the mentally disabled. I bought a copy, read it with my 9 year old daughter, and then donated it to her school library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Wrong with Timmy?, October 22, 2001

By	Max Donatelli (Hamburg, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's Wrong with Timmy? (Hardcover)

I just read What's Wrong with Timmy? It was a pleasure to read, especially having my own son, Craig, 13 years old, who has Down syndrome. It really hit home with me how other children sometimes view Craig. I am recommending that our school district order copies so teachers can read with their students. It was a very positive story focusing on the strengths of children with special needs and how much alike we all are. Kudos to Ms. Shriver for a touching book that I hope gets widely read and helps to de-stigmatize our children! This is a very hopeful book that should be read by every elementary and middle school student, and discussed in class with their teachers...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sincere Effort -- Many Positive Points, February 7, 2004

By	Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What's Wrong with Timmy? (Hardcover)

I was very curious to read this title from Maria Shriver knowing her family background with people with special needs.

My brother has Down's Syndrome, so I know what it is to be on the receiving end of other children looking at my brother and wondering (sometimes outloud and sometimes in facial expression, stares and body language) wondering "What's wrong with him?" Recently one little girl asked my daughter, "Why is your uncle so freaky?"

These are truths: that people "in the world" don't always use politically correct terms... not by a long shot... and as fellow citizens we can educate those who have not yet learned some of the simple truths this book teaches.

One warning (to those who do not share this view) the book takes a very spiritual stance in its explanations.

Another shortcoming is overcome very simply. Each page has quite a bit of text and I thought, "This is way too much on a page to teach the very littlest children who really need the lessons the most" and then I saw the bolded, larger words on each page could be the only words read. Those words would be enough for the littlest ones to understand the message of the book.

It would be tough to write a perfect book on this subject that pleases everyone.

This book makes a sincere effort and will be helpful for many who read it.