We often talk a lot about a book by looking at its cover. Some days I just tell the kids the title of the book we’ll read tomorrow; when we borrow more than 20 books from the library, I read all the titles aloud once. First child: “Mom, why is Leo wearing mismatched socks?” Second child: “Because he wanted to!” Third child: “I feel happy when I wear mismatched socks too!” We read the book together with the kids who had been curious. My seven-year-old oldest finished it and found the reason; I

I think anyone can become disabled. An accident or illness that wasn’t intentional can lead to an acquired disability. Also, there’s no need to offer special consideration just because someone has a disability; that kind of behavior can itself become discrimination. Instead of special treatment, we should see disabled people as equal members of our society, recognize that there are differences rather than looking through the negative lens of prejudice and preconceptions, and accept people as

From the book: “Leo’s room always looks the same. Leo tidies it in his own way.” “Leo is always smiling and is great at making very funny and original words. Jean is going to throw a surprise birthday party for Leo today. Luckily, Leo hasn’t noticed yet.” “Recently, he learned how to warm up food and take care of the garden. And now Leo can ride a bike, too. Sometimes he falls, though.” “Leo and Jean love dancing to cowboy music. Their favorite prank is making Aunt Flor’s hens angry. Leo and

We live amid so many prejudices and forms of discrimination. Because of the narrow perspective they create, we often fail to see what we really need to see. Children naturally develop a distorted view because of the adults around them. In other words, we pass on to children the prejudice and discrimination created by adults. Reading about Leo, who sees and thinks differently from others, made me wonder whether we force everyone to follow the world’s rules as if they were the only correct ones,