My review:
This is the story of Maya who was diagnosed with polio as a young girl during the time of polio outbreaks in the 1930's. The story opens post-polio times, three years later, with Maya sitting at the window watching other kids head off to the pool.
Maya had an internal conflict as the other children seemingly are afraid of her. Through her homeschool studies,she learns about an artist named Diego Rivera who paints large murals of his Mexican culture. Maya convinces her parents to paint murals on her fence outside.
In time, children as well as adults, learn about Maya and come to appreciate her talents. Through her murals, they learn that Maya is much more that just "the polio girl." Maya gains confidence that she lost and learns to make new friends and regain some old.
I liked that this book showed someone with a disability as more than just her disability. Those people are just people that have thoughts, feelings, and dreams just like anyone else, they want to be included. I also liked that those who did not have a disability worked at knowing Maya by asking her questions, even the hard ones, and looked at her work .
The book ended on a positive outcome which is not always the case in real life but none-the-less this time, it worked for me. I give the book 4 stars.
Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collections. The view here is 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
NOTE: As with all books, I research on Amazon and Goodreads to give credit to the author where credit is due. I was only able to find this book on Amazon ( I added it to Goodreads)but there was no photo of the author, no summary was attached and can only be purchased through third parties. The book was apparently a book created as part of the Macmillan-McGraw-Hill instructional books to teach reading.
My review will still be able to be found on Amazon and Goodreads.
