Future Reflections Winter/Spring 2000, Vol. 19 No. 1
From the Editor:
I asked a colleague of mine, Mrs. Peggy Chong, to take a stab at reviewing Mandy Sue
Day, a children�s picture book by Roberta
Karim. I discovered Mandy Sue Day
through another blind friend�Marie Cobb�who happened upon it when she was ordering
books from Discovery Toys for her grandchildren. Mrs. Chong reports that she
was able to order the book through Bibelot�s bookstore. Mandy Sue Day is also available on cassette tape through
your regional library for the blind.
The
reviewer, Mrs. Chong, has the perspective of a woman who grew up as a partially
sighted child who often resisted and denied her blindness. Readers may remember
her article �I�m Partially Sighted, and I Use a White Cane� published in the
Volume 16, Number 4 issue of Future Reflections. Here, now, is her review:
MANDY
SUE DAY
by Roberta Karim
Illustrated by Karen Ritz
� 1994, Houghton Mifflin Company
Review by Peggy Chong
Mandy Sue
Day, written by Roberta Karim, is a delightful story for young
readers about a farm girl and her horse, Ben.
Mandy lives on Amos Acres, the farm owned by her
family. At the end of harvest season, the parents gives each of their six
children a special day off for �good behavior.� This story is about the day
Mandy Sue planned for herself.
As the author, with many wonderful descriptive
phrases, takes the reader through Mandy Sue�s long awaited special day, he/she
soon feels the love of Mandy Sue�s family and the love that Mandy Sue has for
her horse, Ben.
Mandy feeds and grooms her horse for their lazy day.
They ride around the farm, through the woods, then back to the barn to remove
the burrs and riding gear�just Mandy Sue and her horse. It�s a fantasy day many
little girls might dream about.
After a special meal prepared by her mother, Mandy Sue
heads out to the barn to sleep with Ben. Little brother tries to give her a
flashlight and is gently reminded by Mandy Sue that she doesn�t need it because
�I can�t see.� Although there are some very subtle hints about her blindness in
the text and the illustrations, it is only at this point near the end of the
book that the reader is conscious of Mandy Sue�s blindness.
Even today, enlightened authors struggle with the
portrayal of disabled children in literature. Some try to be politically correct
while others attempt to make a statement. This author chose to tell a story
about a little girl who just happens to be blind. The character is clearly a
little girl first. She is a part of a loving family that lives on a farm. Mandy
Sue is fortunate to have a horse of her own and a special day to spend with
that horse. Blindness is just one of her characteristics. She is Mandy Sue
Day�not blind Mandy Sue Day.
I highly recommend this book for any young child. I think, however, that girls, and especially girls who are blind, will particularly enjoy the story