I Have Cerebral Palsy

K-Gr 3—Springer details the story of Sydney, a young girl with cerebral palsy. Readers, many of whom are unlikely to be familiar with this neurological disorder, follow her as she partakes in a number of activities, such as reading and going to school, with an emphasis on how these activities are modified to suit her. For example, Sydney loves to draw, but she has to use big markers to do so, and she has a specialized ramp in order to ride the school bus. The work is effective in using simple, clear language to explain what cerebral palsy is and its symptoms and is sensitive to the nuances of the disorder. Springer stresses that not all people with cerebral palsy need the same accommodations or have the same symptoms. While the text is very well intentioned, occasionally it can feel overly simplistic. Color photographs of Sydney are featured throughout the book, along with brightly colored and easy-to-read pages. Back matter contains a page discussing some of the items that Sydney uses (an adaptive bike and specialized cups and cutlery). The Miracle League, a real-life baseball team for children with disabilities, is briefly discussed in the narrative, along with a page-long feature in the back.