Title: Don’t Call Me Names
Author: C.W. Graham, Illustrated by Kristy Lyons
Publisher: eMerge Publishing Group, LLC
ISBN: 0982569920
Pages: 35, Hardcover & Paperback
Genre: Children’s books
Reviewed by: Beth Adams, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
This is an excellent teaching tool for children that paves the way towards acceptance for those of us who have various forms of disability. Don’t call Me Names is about kindness and compassion. When children see people noticeably different, this book teaches them we are all the same in many ways and everyone should always be treated with respect.If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then the superb illustrations by Kristy Lyons has a higher word count than the galley text so poetically written by C. W. Graham in her book, Don’t Call Me Names. However like peanut butter & jelly, they work better together than each on their own, forming a synergy of sensory stimulation for young minds. Move over Dr. Seuss, although Green Eggs & Ham may make a kid chuckle, Chad, Missy and Zach will teach your child kindness, respect for handicapped children, and very important lessons of understanding the differences some children have.
In Don’t Call Me Names, author C. W. Graham uses a pleasant varying meter foot to her verse, with a catchy Ogden Nash-ish light heartiness, and an economy of words getting right to the point. Her maternal instincts are self evident, as a parent or loved one would echo her words repetitively, after reading this book to their children, as kids learn such necessary lessons.
The duet of poetry and pictures has a harmony to the reader, as turning each page reveals a new chapter about another disability. The images along with the associated poetry convey a sense of comfort, disarming the shock for children when they inevitably see other children with disabilities out in public. The vocabulary of each condition is artfully and semantically defined to promote cognitive understanding for young, growing minds. Understanding is the foundation for compassion. Treating others as you would like to be treated yourself, a lesson we all have heard many times, in many ways, is told in yet another way in this beautifully bound book of childhood poems.
Like a dozen roses tossed upon a stage after an exquisite performance, C. W. Graham places twelve words in a Glossary, at the end of her book, along with other aids to further enable dialogue and discussion. Exquisitely printed by e-Merge Publishing, this book is a treat for the senses with the excellent quality and attention to detail. As one of her poems says, “Now meet Blair, and before you stare, let’s hear his story; it’s only fair,” I found myself staring at this book for literally hours marveling at what seems so simple yet is done so elegantly.
