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alongreader's review against another edition
5.0
What a fabulous book. Sinéad has the gift of talking to children without condescending to them, which is a very tricky balance to keep. She's also managed to address a subject that some people would find embarrassing or weird and kept it all very straight forward and simple.
The layout is great, with quotes, bubbles, lists and pictures of people Sinéad has found inspiring. It's really well laid out. The tone is great, chatty and friendly, with really clear suggestions for ways children can change things and and figure out what they are passionate about.
This is a great read for children of any age and a timely reminder that we can all accomplish greatness if we try!
The layout is great, with quotes, bubbles, lists and pictures of people Sinéad has found inspiring. It's really well laid out. The tone is great, chatty and friendly, with really clear suggestions for ways children can change things and and figure out what they are passionate about.
This is a great read for children of any age and a timely reminder that we can all accomplish greatness if we try!
libby_gt's review against another edition
4.0
Sinead Burke is an ex-primary school teacher and now activist. She is a little person (her chosen term for her disability) and campaigns for better representation of disabled people in the media and in fashion. This book is part autobiographical - providing an eye-opening account of the prejudice she has experienced - but also a manifesto and toolkit for children to be confident, kind, curious and eager to change the world. Some of the subject matter is challenging but it is mostly explained in child-friendly terms. I particularly liked the profiles of "people you don't get taught about in school" - teachers can perhaps take note and incorporate these into their study of "significant individuals" in history.
My only criticism is that it is a little repetitive at times, but I think that was intentional in order to provide a strong and cohesive message.
My only criticism is that it is a little repetitive at times, but I think that was intentional in order to provide a strong and cohesive message.
eabhawall's review against another edition
5.0
A few years ago, I sat in Easons perusing the shelves and an elderly man approached. He struck up conversation in which I politely engaged. This man asked me what I did and I told him that I was a student, of biochemistry. His eyes widened and he exclaimed with derision: "and they let people like you do that these days... do they?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but found my mouth open and close like a goldfish instead. For with his words he had sucked all of the oxygen out of my lungs. As I wheeled down the street, I felt so lightly connected to the universe, the threads that tethered me to the earth felt thin and tenuous.
A small but not insignificant voice questioned... "Do they let *people like me* do this?" It was never something I had stopped to question, but come to think of it, I had never actually *seen* a disabled woman working in STEM before...
Not for the first time (nor the last) I questioned my right to take up space, based on somebody else's preconceived ideals of normalcy, intelligence & excellence. Try as one might to reject such ideals, there comes a point at which it begins to wear at the skin a bit.
This book was like a salve, and it does so much more than "Break the Mould". This extraordinary children's book breaks open and reshapes our idea of how the world should be. That this one-size-fits-all world should be re-imagined to create a fairer, more inclusive playing field.
I want to see weed that is ableism ripped out by the root. But with this book? Sinéad Burke plants the seed for the tree we want to see grown, watered & nurtured in place of it.
I opened my mouth to respond, but found my mouth open and close like a goldfish instead. For with his words he had sucked all of the oxygen out of my lungs. As I wheeled down the street, I felt so lightly connected to the universe, the threads that tethered me to the earth felt thin and tenuous.
A small but not insignificant voice questioned... "Do they let *people like me* do this?" It was never something I had stopped to question, but come to think of it, I had never actually *seen* a disabled woman working in STEM before...
Not for the first time (nor the last) I questioned my right to take up space, based on somebody else's preconceived ideals of normalcy, intelligence & excellence. Try as one might to reject such ideals, there comes a point at which it begins to wear at the skin a bit.
This book was like a salve, and it does so much more than "Break the Mould". This extraordinary children's book breaks open and reshapes our idea of how the world should be. That this one-size-fits-all world should be re-imagined to create a fairer, more inclusive playing field.
I want to see weed that is ableism ripped out by the root. But with this book? Sinéad Burke plants the seed for the tree we want to see grown, watered & nurtured in place of it.
maireador20's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 Warmly written and highly accessible for children aged 8+ this book aims to support children in celebrating their uniqueness, encourages children to embrace their interests/passions and boldly declares "you are enough as you are and the world can be changed by you, you don't need to change for the world."
Uplifting, empowering and sensitively written I would love to see this in every primary classroom's library because there is at least one child in each class who would find this inspiring and comforting to read.
Uplifting, empowering and sensitively written I would love to see this in every primary classroom's library because there is at least one child in each class who would find this inspiring and comforting to read.
bexcapades's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! It’s perfect for children of all ages who are trying to figure out how they fit into the world. It encourages empathetic& practical thinking and develops compassion, including self-love.
No doubt about this being 5 stars! I’d love a physical copy for my classroom.
No doubt about this being 5 stars! I’d love a physical copy for my classroom.
readingfastandslow's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
somethingarosie's review
5.0
I absolutely adore this book and devoured it in one sitting. This book means a lot to me and it’s one my younger self would have loved to have read. When I was a child (I feel so old saying that) there was no representation of little girls (or boys) like me in the media. Children with hearing aids didn’t star in movies and were not written into my favorite books. Still to this day, I have never met someone my own age with a hearing disability. My impairment is somewhat hidden, especially now that I have discrete hearing aids. I am so grateful to live in a world where technology exists to assist me and I can hear relatively well in the grand scheme of things. My speech has not been affected and from the outside, you wouldn’t know anything was different. This can be both a blessing and a curse but that’s a whole different can of worms.
Growing up children would point and ask ‘what’s in your ears?’ and I never minded that but the problem was when I explained it was a hearing aid, few children knew what that was or why I couldn’t *just listen*. As an adult this sort of talk doesn’t phase me but it was difficult to find the words as a child. From an illustration of a girl wearing a hearing aid on the cover, to discussing a whole spectrum of things that make us different, be that religion, ability, disability, ethnicity or something else, this book is a brilliant introduction to diversity for children. Adults should read it too because it’s a lesson so many of us could use.
Sinéad has been a role model and inspiration to me for years. Although I am not a little person, I relate to a lot of what she says because I am below average height - at 4’7 - almost 8” but just not quite
Growing up children would point and ask ‘what’s in your ears?’ and I never minded that but the problem was when I explained it was a hearing aid, few children knew what that was or why I couldn’t *just listen*. As an adult this sort of talk doesn’t phase me but it was difficult to find the words as a child. From an illustration of a girl wearing a hearing aid on the cover, to discussing a whole spectrum of things that make us different, be that religion, ability, disability, ethnicity or something else, this book is a brilliant introduction to diversity for children. Adults should read it too because it’s a lesson so many of us could use.
Sinéad has been a role model and inspiration to me for years. Although I am not a little person, I relate to a lot of what she says because I am below average height - at 4’7 - almost 8” but just not quite