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__**We'll Paint the Octopus Red **__ Written by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen Illustrated by Pam DeVito
 * Summary ** **:** At first, six-year old Emma was skeptical about having a new brother or sister in the family, for she was perfectly content with having Mom and Dad all to herself. After coming up with “at least a million” things to do with her new brother or sister, Emma can not wait to be a big sister! Emma's Dad informs her that her brother was born with Down Syndrome. During their talk, Emma and her Dad couldn't find one of those million things that her new brother Isaac wouldn't be able to do with her. Following the story is a section devoted to Questions and Answers about Down Syndrome. The questions were submitted by parents whose children asked these questions about their brother or sister with Down Syndrome.


 * Why we chose this book: **We found the moral or the message of the story as being supplemental to our theme of inclusion and acceptance of children with special needs. We thought that Emma's positive reaction to her brother being born with Down Syndrome as an influential one to students who read this book. Even though her brother was born with a disability, Emma realizes that her brother can do just as much as anyone else, for he is capable of "at least a million" things. This book supports the idea that we hope as music teachers to carry out: that having a disability doesn't make you any less capable of doing something. With this said, students without impairments will have a better understanding of students who do have them and will not look at them as being at a disadvantage but will admire them for the individual that they are. To add to this, students with disabilities who read this book will understand that they are capable of doing just as much or if not more than any other human being, which we think will make inclusion in the classroom an easier transition.

Written by Laurie Lears Illustrated by Karen Ritz
 * __Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism __ **

**Summary**: Julie, her older sister Tara and their younger brother Ian who has autism take a walk to the park. Julie narrates the story letting the reader know that her brother Ian sees and hears things differently. She then becomes annoyed with her brother by some of the things he does on their walk, such as watching the ceiling fan spin at Nan's Diner, sniffs the gritty bricks of the post office, lying on the ground and resting his head on stones and that he chooses to eat leftover cereal rather than pizza hot dogs or soft pretzels. As Tara goes to get pizza for lunch, Julie is put I charge of watching Ian. But when Tara returns Ian is no where to be found. They look around the park for Ian until Julie remember's Ian loves the bell in the center of the park most of all. They find Ian at the bell and hug him even though he doesn't care for hugs. They decide to walk home the way Ian likes, letting him play with the stones at the pond, smell the bricks at the post office and watch the ceiling fan at Nan's diner until they feel dizzy. Julie, in the end, realizes how much she cares for her brother.

**Why we chose this book**: We chose //Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism// because it can relate to so many people. Many students grow up with younger siblings and can relate to Julie being annoyed by her younger brother Ian's actions. This book supports our theme of inclusion and acceptance in the classroom, for in the end of the story Julie accepts and realizes that she loves her brother for who he is, and his autism doesn't set him apart, but makes him unique and special. This would also be a great book for students to read if they have siblings with autism, for it may inspire them to admire their siblings for who they are, and not define them by their disability.



__ **Moses Goes to a Concert ** __ Written and Illustrated by Isaac Millman

**Summary:** Moses and his class take a field trip to see the local orchestra play a concert, but the catch is that Moses is deaf. When they get to the concert his teacher gives him and several of his classmates balloons so they can feel the vibrations of the orchestra as they play. His teacher happens to be friends with one of the percussionists in the orchestra who is also deaf (based off of Evelyn Glennie)! They meet up with the deaf percussionist after the concert to talk to her about how she can still play even though she is deaf and also so the students can ask her all sorts of questions.


 * Why we chose this book : **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> This book is a great insight to how students of all backgrounds regardless of disability can participate in music. Since our lesson has to do with special education in music and including all kids in band and other music programs we thought this was a great addition to the lesson because it has to do with including students in ways that people would never think about and also introducing us to a real life example of what we are preaching in our lesson.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Written by Virginia Fleming <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
 * __<span style="color: #800000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Be Good to Eddie Lee __ **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Summary:** This book is all about accepting people for who they are. Eddie Lee has downs syndrome and is a curious little boy but one of the neighborhood boys is mean to Eddie Lee and makes fun of him because of his disability. Eddie Lee throughout the whole book just wants to be friendly and hangout with the girl who lives next door but the whole time this other boy is making fun of him. Finally towards the end of the book after a bunch of taunting Eddies girl neighbor stood up for him and tells the other boy to go away since he's so mean to Eddie Lee.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Why we chose this book:** This book shows how everyone should be valued and never made fun of just because they have some sort of disability. It teaches a great lesson when the girl stands up for Eddie Lee and makes sure he isn't being made fun of. We chose this because we want to show our students this lesson because bullying is something that happens much too often and students don't stick up for the other students and we wanted to make sure our students know the right thing to do.