Before our daughter Penny was born, and before she was diagnosed with Down syndrome, I had a picture in my head of who she would be. The picture was essentially a small version of myself–a verbally precocious child who talked early and taught herself to read and skipped kindergarten. After I heard the doctor’s words, “Down syndrome” and the “guarantees” that came with it–low muscle tone and mental retardation–I grieved over the loss of the child I thought I would have.
My grief found a strange focal point: books. I literally cried in anticipation of the day when Penny and I would not share a love for books. I cried that she wouldn’t make suggestions for my book club (note: I’m not even in a book club, but I imagined that I would be in a book club decades from now when my daughter and I were not having this profound conversation).
And then Penny surprised me. Early on, she loved sitting on my lap and turning pages. Before she was two, when she had very few spoken words but knew hundreds of signs, she could “read” her favorite books with me, filling in the words at the ends of sentences. Now she can recite some books word-for-word. She spends 30 minutes every morning alone in her room, reading. As the photo attests, she even enjoys “reading” adult books, like the Life of Martin Luther. Little did I know, and shame on me for assuming we wouldn’t share this love of reading.
I’ve written before about our friends Eric and Holly Nelson and the Special Hope Network, a faith-based organization seeking to provide resources, training, and support for children in Africa with intellectual disabilities. Recently, Eric and Holly wrote me because, after a month in Zambia, they have realized that the children don’t have books. Not only that, but the books available are more expensive over there than they are here. In their words, after visiting the homes of two children with disabilities: “Neither home had any books, toys, playdough, paper or writing implement, or anything for the boys to do all day. Each parent said they just sat all day on a couch or lap. Can you imagine? One of the boys was so taken with our books, he could have stayed all day.”
Holly and Eric are sending a container from Virginia to Africa in about a month. They hope this container will be filled to the brim with books, toys, and therapeutic tools. Would you consider sending some books to fill the container? They have requested board books, and books that are appropriate for their setting in Africa (which is to say, not America-centric and books that include images of a diverse array of children). Some suggestions include Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton, and any books with animals, alphabets, or numbers.
Books (gently used or new) can be sent to:
Special Hope Network, 2833 Burnt Mill Rd. Charlottesville, VA 22911
One of the reasons Penny is flourishing is because she lives in a “language-rich environment” and because we have tried to combat the “soft-bigotry of low expectations.” The simple act of giving a book (or two or three) can make a world of difference in the life of a child. So clean out those shelves or use up that gift card or just make a donation. A child in Africa will thank you.
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