I Want to Tell You

"I want to fly like an eagle, til I'm free. Fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me." - Steve Miller Band 1976

"Yet Those Who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles;
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not Become weary. "- Isaiah, 40:31

Sharon Draper is a genius. It's as Simple As That. I have enjoyed all of her books, this one is my purpose personal favorite. Diamond sharp and multi-faceted, it will be Reflect every emotion and readers to Reinforce the value in reaching for the stars.

Melody, 10 is literally a prisoner in her body and the pink wheelchair transportation used to her. She Introduces herself by Saying That She is 11 years old and Nearly HAS never spoken a single word. Her use of metaphors and images, persist is quite effective - words are like snowflakes to Melody. Each is distinct, with icts own sound and meanings. They pile up high around her like snowdrifts. They can be tracked and Followed. They can leave impressions.

Melody: has a severe form of congenital cerebral palsy (CP). She can not move indépendamment nor do basic self-care skills. Aussi She can not speak. She can, HOWEVER recall just about every event in her life and feel. Her loving father, a Beatles fan reads to her and talks to her as he Would a peer. He Believes In His daughter's intelligence and Ability to learn. He shows her aussi He Has videos taken of her from the day she Was Born.

Melody's mother, it treats Melody Reviews the other hand like an infant. Sad, understandable goal Given That Melody is trapped in a body That does not work and is not reliable to speak. In one memorable stage, Melody, Then 4 Had a meltdown in a megastore Because she saw a display of blocks with toxic paint. Just That She Had morning watched a news segment about how the blocks Were Recalled. Unable to speak out and warn people not to buy the blocks, she Communicates as best she can, by Trying to spot at the blocks and shrieking. Naturally, Melody's mother Thinks she wants the blocks and is embarrassed by her daughter's outburst. This unfortunate incident prompts Melody's mother to call the doctor, Whose answer is to prescribe a sedative. Fortunately, Melody dodges the bullet sedative.

Even so, Melody's loving mother and her father REMAIN staunches allies and fight like tigers on her Behalf. Ignorant and insensitive doctors and teachers, peers and others brutal Who Melody treat as an oddity stand in stark contrast to Those Who really love Melody and are willing to see the real behind the Melody She has CP.

A brilliant, truly gifted girl, Melody seeks a way to express herself to others. She has special needs class expect That Some offers inclusion into non-special needs classes. She encounters the spectrum of peers ranging from truly kind to truly Curel.

When things change is a wonderful device brought` into her classroom. Melody Allows this device to speak! And speak she does! Her words like falcons soar; her impressions and observations brighten her immediate environment and her life Improves naturally. She has an entry to the world!

Sadly, not everybody is willing to accept Melody, the brilliant child as Opposed to the helpless waif They HAD ounce Believed her to be. Even so, Melody, a little raptor Who Had to beat her wings, takes off into full fledged flight.

Melody is truly an inspirational and delightful character. Her natural speech is nothing short of brilliant. Her --other sensory modes Have some overlapping, so she Appears to Have some degree of synesthesia, eg seeing colors in songs and hearing as well as tasting colors around her. Her descriptions are like Michaelangelo's painting style - pure, natural and graced with exquisite detail.

In addition to her extraordinary sensory perceptual skills, Melody is a virtuoso at reading people --other. She has a wickedly funny wit, Such As When She Says That Does not make her pink wheelchair cute. Her description of her father's flatulence issues and how funny His broadcasts are Each time he takes a step is downright funny. She aussi Describes her mounting frustration at not Having a communication outlet Causing as "tornadoes" Within her to rise, resulting and in major meltdowns. That is understandable, Considering what she is grappling with.

This book deserves a place of honor Among all. I really think every educator, parent, child, and speech specialist medical professional should read this masterpiece. This book belongs up for debate Among students, educators, families and medical professionals.

Sharon Draper is a truly gifted author. This book is like a mosaic - it is pieced together, making an incredible portrait. Readers travel down the emotional spectrum and feel everything from sadness, anger, joy, laughter and inspiration.

Melody is hand of That mosaic. Her classmates, some of Whom are developmentally / cognitively delayed, and autism-have physical and cognitive requirements are rightfully portrayed as Their PEOPLE and NOT conditions. If nothing else, this book, qui might make you cry Certainly will help people to move beyond labels to seeing the real person.

Trueman's Stuck in Neutral is a good companion book to this one. Trueman's book, like Draper's remind readers never to assume That Just Because HAS person has severe CP qui render em Unable to talk or care for Themselves, Then They Are incapable of understanding. That is not true. Assuming people with severe physical challenges-have the minds and are flat on the developmental of infants is a grave disservice to all. Melody's father Was a wise man fait que he Talked to Melody in a normal tone and That She Was he ASSUMED learning. Everybody can learn and it is negligent to assume cruelty That They Can not.

George Harrison's 1966 masterpiece "I Want to Tell You" is the soundtrack of this book.

On a related note, Many People with severe autism are just as trapped in a jail sensory qui can result in poor verbal skills to missing. People with severe autism Such As How Can I Talk If My Lips Do not Move: Inside My Autistic Mindarus, Often more than not to gifted of normal intelligence. Tito, a gifted young man with severe autism Was trapped in a limbo of silence he received up to one-on-one Facilitated communication. Tito's mother, Soma, Was a strong advocate for her son, much like Melody's relatives are in this book. Soma Knew That There Was a key linguistic That Would open the door to the world for Tito. Even Tito HAS Said in Strange Son: Two Mothers, Two Sons, and the Quest to Unlock the Hidden World of Autism and "How Can I Talk If My Lips Do not Move: Inside My Autistic Mind" that He Has trouble using more than Has one sensory mode and That in turn time Had a negative impact on His Ability to communiquer. The words Were always there, inside _him_ waiting to come out. Like Paul McCartney's 1968 "Blackbird," he Took His broken wings and Learned to fly. Melody bears a similar resemblance to Tito Their aim barriers to communication are far different. Even so, the result is the same, just as When They Were liberated with a way to make communication accessible.

This book is a masterpiece. Please read it and share it with somebody. You will be glad That You About did.